Genetic Toxicology of Complex Mixtures

Book excerpt: Contained in this volume are the proceedings of the international conference on the "Genetic Toxicology of Complex Mixtures," held from July 4-7, 1989, in Washington, DC. This meeting was a satellite of the "Fifth International Conference on Environmental Mutagens" and the seventh in a biennial series of conferences on "Short-term Bioassays in the Analysis of Complex Environmental Mixtures. " Our central objective in calling together key researchers from around the world was to extend our knowledge of the application of the methods of genetic toxicology and analytical chemistry in the evaluation of chemical mixtures as they exist in the environment. This conference emphasized the study of genotoxicants in air and water, and the assessment of human exposure and cancer risk. The latest strategies and methodologies for biomonitoring of genotoxicants (including transformation products) were described in the context of the ambient environment. Source character ization and source apportionment were discussed as an aid to understand ing the origin and relative contribution of various kinds of complex mix tures to the ambient environment. Similarly, investigations of genotoxi cants found in the indoor environment (sidestream cigarette smoke) and in drinking water (chlorohydroxyfuranones) were given special attention in terms of their potential health impacts. New molecular techniques were described to enable more precise quantitation of internal dose and dose to-target tissues. The emphasis of presentations on exposures/effects assessment was on integrated quantitative evaluation of human exposure and potential health effects.