Ecogenetics: Genetic predisposition to toxic effects of chemicals / Edition 1

by P. Grandjean

Overview

Protection of human health by prevention of environmental hazards has become a major concern in all European countries. This concern is reflected in the regional strategy of Health for All by the Year 2000, as developed in 1984, and in the 1989 European Charter on Environment and Health. However, despite considerable progress, most efforts are related to single sources of exposure and to a small number of 'priority' chemicals. In protecting the population against chemical hazards, attention must also be paid to the fact that subgroups are particularly susceptible to the adverse effects of certain chemicals. This hypersusceptibility may be genetically determined. Such individual predisposition to toxic effects must be taken into account in the efforts to prevent adverse effects of environmental exposures to toxic chemicals. To help address these problems the Regional Office, in co-operation with the Institute of Human Genetics and Anthropology of the University of Dusseldorf and with financial support from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety of the Federal Republic of Germany, organized a consultation in Krefeld in October 1989. The meeting was attended by 17 experts from 12 countries, three representatives of the host government, two representatives of other organizations and five staff members from the WHO Regional Office for Europe and WHO Headquarters. The list of participants is included as an appendix to the present volume.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780412392900
Publisher:	Springer Netherlands
Publication date:	06/30/1991
Edition description:	1991
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.03(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

Table of Contents

One Significance for Public Health and Research.- 1 Report on a WHO consultation.- Two Perspectives of Genetic Predisposition.- 2 Genetic predisposition to occupationally-related diseases: current status and future directions.- 3 Genetic predisposition to environmental toxic agents: detection by distribution of ecogenetic markers.- 4 Genetic predisposition to common diseases.- Three Experimental Evidence.- 5 Evidence in laboratory animal studies of genetic predisposition to effects of toxic chemicals.- 6 Animal models for studies of genetic predisposition to adverse effects of chemical exposure.- 7 Sex-related differences in genetic susceptibility to toxic chemicals.- Four Pharmacogenetic Evidence.- 8 Lessons from pharmocogenetics.- 9 Human variability in alcohol and aldehyde metabolism: vulnerability to toxic effects.- 10 Detection of unsuspected non-fava-bean-sensitive G-6-PD deficiency in semiconductor fabrication workers in Israel.- Five Toxicogenetic Evidence.- 11 Prevalence of important polymorphisms in Poland.- 12 Phenotypes of human serum esterases reacting with organophosphates, carbamates and other esters.- 13 Predisposition in exposure to carbon disulfide.- 14 Genetic susceptibility to DNA-methylating agents.- 15 Interindividual variation in the level of DNA and protein adducts in humans.- Six Ethical and Regulatory Aspects.- 16 Ethical aspects of genetic predisposition to disease.- 17 Health policy, ethics and human values.- 18 Significance of hypersusceptibility for risk assessment.- 19 Examples of regulatory practices to protect hypersusceptible groups of workers.- Appendix: List of Participants.

Editorial Reviews

Written and edited by an international team of experts, Ecogenetics is a vital reference source...Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy; The book provides a wealth of data which contain interesting and important information to both the toxicologist and molecular biologist - Chemistry and Industry; ...this is a useful and comprehensive volume...for students or those with broad interests, this volume presents an ideal lead into the diverse areas of ecogenetics... - Animals of Human Biology; For those generally unfamiliar with this field, this is a useful and comprehensive volume - Annals of Human Biology

From the Publisher

In 19 papers from a World Health Organization meeting in Krefeld, Germany, in October 1989, scientists from a number of disciplines discuss the genetic element in people's varying reactions to toxic chemicals. They summarize the experimental, pharmacological, toxigenetic, and epidemiological evidence; explore the possibilities for preventive action; and consider the ethical and legal aspects of chemicals that are harmless to most people and deadly to a few. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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