Contains papers from a July 1998 conference held at the Queens College Campus of the City University of New York. Papers are arranged in sections on mechanisms and general considerations, programmed (developmental) cell death, and cell death and pathological and clinical situations. Specific topics

Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment reviews advances made during the last 10-15 years in fields such as developmental biology, molecular biology, and genetics. It describes a novel approach for how these advances might be used in combination with existing methodologies to further the understanding of mechanisms of developmental toxicity, to improve the assessment of chemicals for their ability to cause developmental toxicity, and to improve risk assessment for developmental defects. For example, based on the recent advances, even the smallest, simplest laboratory animals such as the fruit fly, roundworm, and zebrafish might be able to serve as developmental toxicological models for human biological systems. Use of such organisms might allow for rapid and inexpensive testing of large numbers of chemicals for their potential to cause developmental toxicity; presently, there are little or no developmental toxicity data available for the majority of natural and manufactured chemicals in use. This new approach to developmental toxicology and risk assessment will require simultaneous research on several fronts by experts from multiple scientific disciplines, including developmental toxicologists, developmental biologists, geneticists, epidemiologists, and biostatisticians.

Advances in molecular biology and toxicology are paving the way for major improvements in the evaluation of the hazards posed by the large number of chemicals found at low levels in the environment. The National Research Council was asked by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to review the state of the science and create a far-reaching vision for the future of toxicity testing. The book finds that developing, improving, and validating new laboratory tools based on recent scientific advances could significantly improve our ability to understand the hazards and risks posed by chemicals. This new knowledge would lead to much more informed environmental regulations and dramatically reduce the need for animal testing because the new tests would be based on human cells and cell components. Substantial scientific efforts and resources will be required to leverage these new technologies to realize the vision, but the result will be a more efficient, informative and less costly system for assessing the hazards posed by industrial chemicals and pesticides.

History: -- K.D. Watson, P. Wexler, and J. Everitt. -- Highlights in the History of Toxicology. -- Selected References in the History of Toxicology. -- A Historical Perspective of Toxicology Information Systems. -- Books and Special Documents: -- G.L. Kennedy, Jr., P. Wexler, N.S. Selzer, and L.A. Malley. -- General Texts. -- Analytical Toxicology. -- Animals in Research. -- Biomonitoring/Biomarkers. -- Biotechnology. -- Biotoxins. -- Cancer. -- Chemical Compendia. -- Chemical--Cosmetics and Other Consumer. -- Products. -- Chemical--Drugs. -- Chemical--Dust and Fibers. -- Chemical--Metals. -- Chemicals--Pesticides -- Chemicals--Solvents. -- Chemical--Selected Chemicals. -- Clinical Toxicology. -- Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology. -- Environmental Toxicology--General. -- Environmental Toxicology-- Aquatic. -- Environmental Toxicology--Atmospheric. -- Environmental Toxicology--Hazardous Waste. -- Environmental Toxicology--Terrestrial. -- Environmental Toxicology--Wildlife. -- Ep ...

Molecular toxicology is on the way to setting a new standard in toxic risk assessment, with the powerful help of concepts and methods developed in the fields of molecular and cellular biology. The methods of molecular toxicology are endowed with qualities not always secured in more traditional approaches to toxicity assessment. These methods are easily standardized, reliable, reproducible and require only tiny amounts of the xenobiotic. They are much simpler, faster and less costly than current tests on animals and can be implemented with modest laboratory resources. This volume of Advances in Molecular Toxicology represents a collection of invited papers presented at the First European Workshop on Molecular Toxicology in Sophia Antipolis, France, The book covers 8 selected topics in molecular toxicology. The first two are devoted to ''physics'', dealing respectively with advanced instrumentation enabling location and quantification of xenobiotics in cells and organs with ultimate precision, and computer-assisted assessment of risk (QSAR). A comprehensive and up-to-date survey of molecular toxicology in the pharmaceutical industry is contributed by a pioneer in this field. The third section addresses the effect of xenobiotics on cell-cycle actors. Sections 4--6 deal with molecular toxicology in skin, kidney, nerve, liver and pancreatic cells. The last two sections describe methods to probe DNA damage and repair, and immunotoxicity.

Can the electric and magnetic fields (EMF) to which people are routinely exposed cause health effects? This volume assesses the data and draws conclusions about the consequences of human exposure to EMF. The committee examines what is known about three kinds of health effects associated with EMF: cancer, primarily childhood leukemia; reproduction and development; and neurobiological effects. This book provides a detailed discussion of hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization for each. Possible Health Effects of Exposure to Residential Electric and Magnetic Fields also discusses the tools available to measure exposure, common types of exposures, and what is known about the effects of exposure. The committee looks at correlations between EMF exposure and carcinogenesis, mutagenesis, neurobehavioral effects, reproductive and developmental effects, effects on melatonin and other neurochemicals, and effects on bone healing and stimulated cell growth.

Many of the toxic effects elicited by xenobiotics can be explained at the molecular level by their interaction with receptors or by disruption or interference with receptor-mediated signal transduction pathways. This volume describes molecular approaches and reviews of current research. It provides reviews of numerous research areas which are direc