The degradation of the Aral Sea is among the most severe man-made environmental catastrophes of the 20th and 21st centuries. In this article, the tenets of ecotoxicology, namely, i) Source–Pathway–Receptor, ii) Dose–Response, iii) Bioavailability, iv) Accumulation, v) Mode of Action, vi) Ecological Relevance, vii) Mixture Toxicity, viii) Community Effects, ix) Toxicokinetics, and x) Risk Assessment, are used to reinterpret the toxicological perspective of the ecological degradation of the Aral Sea. This article calls for an expansive historical-ecological synthesis of the manner in which cumulative exposure to toxics, desertification, and systematic water mismanagement have inflicted irreversible damage upon biotic and human communities by synthesizing ecological data, health indicators, remote sensing studies, and governance investigations. Every theme manifests serious gaps in monitoring, risk communication, and regulatory reaction, thus highlighting the lack of integrated toxicological governance in reducing environmental and public health issues. The research shows that ecotoxicology is a framework for ethical and multidisciplinary environmental action and a discipline for assessing chemical risks. The Aral Sea disaster therefore demonstrates how oversight of the toxicological foundations of ecosystem failure can exacerbate health crises, social disintegration, and environmental irreversibility. This article supports the integration of ecotoxicological concepts into regional policy, restoration planning, and resilience-enhancement at the community level. Eventually, the implementation of these concepts may bring about more equitable, science-based, and sustainable futures for previously marginalized ecosystems.
aral sea, ecotoxicology, environmental collapse, toxicological governance, restoration ethics
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