Human Carcinogen Exposure: Biomonitoring and Risk Assessment

Approximately one-third of all deaths in the Western world are due to cancer, and epidemiological studies have established that environmental factors play a major role in the disease. Research on humans has so far concentrated on statistical studies that try to link the incidence of cancers to types of exposure, but this approach is only useful on a gross scale, and the results are necessarily very long in coming. Sensitive procedures are needed to assess the risks of low-level carcinogen exposure, and to determine the relative dangers of exposure to different substances. Researchers are applying the powerful tools of molecular biology to study DNA damaged by carcinogens to understand the significance of this damage at the level of the individual and its implications for risk assessment. A meeting on this subject took place in July 1989 where researchers presented and compared the strengths and weaknesses of various research methods, and this volume is a record of those presentations. It provides a valuable reference source for academic and industrial researchers, as well as government regulators, who are interested in the expanding field of "molecular epidemiology".

'this book will have something of interest for readers from all backgrounds ... It would make a useful addition to any departmental library.' :M.R. Dewji, Chemistry in Britain, March 1993 'I enjoyed reading this book ... the contents of the book make it a valuable reference source on an important topic' Peter Boyle, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, European Journal of Cancer, Vol. 28A, No. 11, 1992 'I enjoyed reading this book and found that, overall, the contents of the book make it a valuable reference source on an important topic. The price appears competitive in view of the fact that many of the chapters will be relevant for several years to come.' Peter Boyle, European Institute of Oncology, European Journal of Cancer, Vol. 28A, No. 11, 1992 'It will prove useful to experimental scientists and epidemiologists active in biochemical or molecular epidemiology, and to those who are interested in modern tools for investigating cancer prevention.' Annals of Oncology 'all those working in the field of molecular epidemiology will find the book of considerable interest' Aslib Book Guide, vol. 57, no.1, February 1992