Main description:

To meet the needs of an ever-growing world population for food and fiber, agriculture uses an arsenal of chemicals to control insects, weeds and other pests that compete with man in the agricultural arena. In addition to their intended effect, many of these biologically active materials affect non-target organisms including man himself. There is concern about the resulting occupational exposure of those who work in agriculture and the environmental health of those who live in rural areas. Unintended side effects from the use of agricultural chemicals are further complicated by the dispersal of these substances well beyond the area of immediate use, through food chains, atmospheric transport, irrigation runoff, percolation to and diffusion through ground water, sometimes giving rise to public health and environmental problems at a distance from the place of application. In addition to toxic substances introduced into the agro ecosystem by man, one must be concerned about naturally occurring agents including mfcotoxins, plant poisons, infective biological agents and the levels of certain heavy metals. The formation of toxic substances, many of them mutagenic, during cooking and other processing of food is a related problem. While acute effects are more immediate and somewhat readily discerned, chronic and genetic effects tend to be more obscure and sometimes surface in a crisis situation long after substantial damage has been sustained. Genotoxicity assays and epidemiological studies play increasing roles in predicting and evaluating long term effects of low-level exposure to toxic materials.

Contents:

Welcoming Comments.- and Overview, Chairman's Comments.- Overview of Genetic Toxicology.- to an International Symposium on Genetic Toxicology - An Agricultural Perspective.- Health Risks and Exposure.- Approaches to the Genetic Safety Evaluation of Agricultural Chemicals.- Bases for Concern, Chairman's Comments.- Patterns in Urban and Rural Cancer Incidence.- Cancer Risks Associated with Agriculture: Epidemiologic Evidence.- Extrapolation of Mutagenicity Testing to the Human.- Genotoxic Agents in the Agro-Ecosystem, Chairman's Comments.- Mutagenic and Carcinogenic Chemicals in the Egyptian Agricultural Environment.- Biological Characteristics of the Aflatoxin-Induced Hepatic Tumor.- Mechanisms of Dietary Modification of Aflatoxin B1 Carcinogenesis.- Toxic Agents in the Agro-Ecosystem, Chairman's Comments.- Viruses as Environmental Carcinogens: An Agricultural Perspective.- Trace Elements and Teratology: An Interactional Perspective.- Pesticides as Environmental Mutagens.- Analysis of Toxicants in Agricultural Environments.- Exposure Assessment for Agricultural Chemicals.- Mutagens in Cooked Food.- Detection and Evaluation of Potential Hazards to Human Health, Chairman's Comments.- Study of Pesticide Genotoxicity.- Plant Dependent Mutation Assays.- Cytogenetic Studies of Agricultural Chemicals in Plants.- Cytogenetic Studies in Animals.- Detection and Evaluation of Potential Hazards to Human Health (Second Session), Chairman's Comments.- Dose Response Relations: The Effects of DNA Repair.- Mutation InVivo in Human Somatic Cells: Studies Using Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells.- Genetic vs. Nongenetic Chemical Carcinogenesis and Risk Assessment.- An Overview of Regulatory Responsibilities.- Toxicological Procedures for Assessing the Carcinogenic Potential of Agricultural Chemicals.- Mutagens, Carcinogens, and Anti-Carcinogens.- Roundtable Discussion: Research Priorities and Perspectives - Industry, Universities, Government.- List of Speakers.- List of Participants.