International symposium on strategies for the control of mutagenic and carcinogenic risk: Current status and perspectives, Friday, May 5, 1989, Bologna

Abstract

The 18 posters, grouped under mutagenicity testing, metabolic activation, mechanisms of mutation and chromosome damage, human monitoring and safety are critically discussed. It is pointed out that rather than applying a single test, a battery of well-validated in vitro and in vivo tests is required. As a testing strategy, the one developed by Ashby is briefly mentioned. The value of the Salmonella assay and of in vitro cytogenetics as short term tests for detecting carcinogens, and of the bone marrow micronucleus test as one for assessing germ cell mutagenesis is pointed out. Various assays now available for measuring gene mutations in human lymphocytes and erythrocytes are briefly described. Since we have a considerable data-base for germ cell mutations in the mouse and data are now being collected for mutations in human somatic cells, the importance of studies on mutation induction in somatic cells of the mouse is emphasized. Such data on mouse somatic cells will help to define with greater precision mutation induction to be expected in human germ cells; that is genetic risks in humans on the basis of a "parallelogram-like" extrapolation using somatic mutations in man and germ cell mutations in the mouse can now be calculated.