Defining hormesis: comments on Calabrese and Baldwin (2002)

Abstract

The definition of hormesis should not include non scientific judgments as to beneficial or harmful effects. Evaluating the significance of hormesis is a separate issue that ultimately requires risk:risk comparisons, particularly since the evolutionary basis for hormesis appears to be Lamarkian rather than Darwinian. It is arguable whether ‘hormesis’ is the correct umbrella term for all low-dose exposure responses, in particular those at higher organization levels than single species, or whether it includes arousal responses.