Lead-in to toxicology

As a detective, the first thing I did when I encountered the crossword clue ‘Lead-in to toxicology‘ was to break it down into its parts. ‘Lead-in‘ implied that the answer would be a word that precedes the word ‘toxicology‘, and ‘toxicology‘ suggested a scientific or medical field. My first thought was ‘bio‘, as it often prefaces words related to biology and medicine. However, this didn’t fit the rest of the clue. Then I considered ‘eco‘, which stands for ecology or environmentalism. This made sense, as toxicology can refer to the study of harmful substances on our environment, and ‘eco‘ is often used in the context of environmentally-friendly practices. It fit perfectly, and so ‘eco‘ became my answer. In this way, I used my deductive and contextual skills to decipher the mystery of the crossword clue, leading me to the ultimate solution.