Ecuador

Toxicology has been a subject of little research in Ecuador, in some cases because of economic constraints and limited trained personnel but also because of limited interest and application. In spite of that, during the last 15 years, toxicology in Ecuador has developed due to the critical need to understand increasing occupational and environmental problems. The critical objective continues to be seeking the development of methods, techniques, studies, and research seeking biological indicators to correlate with environmental measurements within a scientific design. The concept of exposure and its association with effects is lacking in the studies that some researchers are conducting in Ecuador. Thus, we can say that the evolution of toxicology in Ecuador shows that there are many problems to be studied and solved. There is clearly an interest and many actors who could potentially participate. At the same time a national system needs to be organized including stakeholders from governmental, private, and non-governmental organizations, together with universities and scientific institutions, to assess the situation in Ecuador as a whole and to develop a new framework, for the future.