80 Reviews of recent publications---Fd Chem. Toxic. Vol. 22, no. 1

stands why. This is a text on the dynamic aspects of the practice of toxicology; it is less concerned with the interpretative aspects of the work. This is not to say that interpretative guidance is not given--it is, and soundly so- -bu t the emphasis is on the good-quality observations, firmly based in science, that are, of course, the only satisfactory basis of good inter- pretation.

This is a well-produced text, a real pleasure to read and altogether a book that will be cherished. It establishes a milestone in the development of tox- icology and cannot be recommended too highly.

Safety Evaluation and Regulation of Chemicals. First International Conference on Safety Evaluation and Regulation of Chemicals, Boston, Mass., February 24-26, 1982. Edited by F. Homburger. S. Karger, Basel, 1983. pp. xiii + 294. Sw.fr. 198.00

philosophical but generally encouraging look at the next 25 years in toxicology to a well-coordinated evaluation of the concepts of chemical carcino- genesis. Included in this latter paper are sound eco- nomic and scientific suggestions for the assessment of potentially hazardous chemicals. Subsequent papers summarize recent developments in the use of the Syrian hamster as a model for toxicological studies, the use of tumour markers in the early detection of epigenetic carcinogenic agents and various methods that may provide alternatives to animal testing.

Many books based on conference proceedings are a conglomeration of diverse papers, and therefore tend to be somewhat disjointed. In contrast, this volume is very well presented. However, since the conference arose from an expressed need for people from different countries to come together to discuss various regulations and methods of safety evaluation, it is to be hoped that future meetings will succeed in being more 'international'.

This book draws together much of the basic infor- mation on safety evaluation that is required for some understanding of both the current regulations and the current research in this field. As far as it goes it is a good reference book, but with 33 American speakers and chairmen out of a total of 39 it is debatable whether the meeting really justified its identification as an 'international' conference. In fact much of the book is concerned with American regulations and ideas, although there are some internationally well- known names among the contributors.

The proceedings are divided into seven sections. The opening section, entitled "State of the art of safety evaluation", consists of nine papers on the roles of the American and international regulatory agencies and deals with specific problems posed by environmental pollutants and hazardous chemicals in the workplace.

The next two sections are concerned with the particular problems facing both scientists and legis- lators in the evaluation and control of the risks of chemicals. Individual chapters emphasize the difficulties of extrapolating toxicological data from animals to man, and the need to understand the differences between the views of the scientists and of the general public on what constitutes an acceptable risk.

There follows a series of papers on in vitro testing. The aims, achievements and limitations of the cur- rently used methods are discussed and consideration is also given to possible future approaches to mu- tagenicity and carcinogenicity testing. To end the section, an overall view of the practical aspects of making industrial decisions on the basis of in vitro data concludes that these tests play a valuable role in safety evaluation.

A short section of three proffered research papers precedes the two final sections which are introduced by the editor of this publication and chairman of the meeting. Dr Homburger explains how toxicological methodology is moving away from long-term bio- assays partly because of economic and social pres- sures but also because of increases in fundamental knowledge which may make such procedures unnec- essary. The following papers range from a somewhat

Banbury Report 13: Indicators of Genotoxic Exposure. Edited by B. A. Bridges, B. E. Butterworth & I. B. Weinstein. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, 1982. pp. xiv + 580. $75.00

This publication is a compilation of the formal presentations and subsequent discussions at a confer- ence held from 18-21 April 1982 at the Banbury Center of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The stated aim of the conference was to assess the scientific capabilities of new indicators of geno- toxicity that may be applied to man, with particular emphasis on the direct monitoring of intact humans.

The book is organized into seven sections--each corresponding to a session at the conference--titled Clinical Perspectives, Detection of Mutagens in Body Fluids, DNA Damage and Repair, DNA Adducts, Cytogenetics and Sister Chromatid Exchange, Mu- tagenesis, and Germ Cell Effects.

The opening contribution, by I. B. Weinstein & F. P. Perera, is both an excellent scene-setter for what follows and a stimulating introduction to molecular epidemiology, a new analytical approach to the study of environmental mutagenesis/carcinogenesis. A good proportion of the subsequent papers-- in the DNA Adducts, Cytogenetics and Sister Chromatid Exchange, and Mutagenesis sections--deals with the monitoring of control and genotoxin-exposed human populations for DNA adducts, point mutations or cytogenetic abnormalities in somatic cells. One high- light is a group of three complementary contributions (R. J. Albertini; G. Zetterburg, H. Amntus & P. Matsson; G. Strauss) concerned with the devel- opment of assays to quantitate mutant human lym- phocytes arising in vivo. Once they are thoroughly validated, such assays will obviously be extremely powerful tools for the genetic toxicologist. The rather neglected area of genotoxic effects on human germ ceils receives some welcome attention in the final section of the book.

Many reports are on work undertaken using inbred animals or microbial assays. These, although not completely consistent with the main aim of the

Reviews of recent publications--Fd Chem. Toxic. Vol. 22, no. 1 81

conference, are nonetheless worthwhile and of rele- vance to the central subject.

Like its predecessors in the Banbury Report series (Oted in F.C.T. 1983, 21, 513; ibid 1983, 21, 670) this is a well-organized and up-to-date text. It will be useful to anyone wanting to keep abreast of recent interdisciplinary advances applicable in genetic tox- icology. Participants have generally presented their contributions clearly and have included helpful out- lines of experimental methods. The discussions re- produced at the end of most papers usually merit their inclusion.

Laboratory Decontamination and Destruction of Car- cinogens in Laboratory Wastes: Some Polycyclic Aro- matic Hydrocarbons. Edited by M. Castegnaro, G. Grimmer, O. Hutzinger, W. Karcher, H. Kunte, M. Lafontaine, E. B. Sansone, G. Telling & S. P. Tucker. IARC Scient. Publ. no. 49. International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, 1983. pp. vii + 81. Sw.fr. 20.00 (available in the UK through HMSO).

Investigations using chemical carcinogens inevi- tably lead to the contamination of equipment and to the generation of waste products containing carcino- gens. Despite this, and despite the fact that chemical carcinogens have been used in laboratories through- out the world for many years, there is surprisingly little readily accessible information concerning suit- able methods for carcinogen decontamination.

In recognition of this somewhat neglected area, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has collaborated with the US National Institutes of Health to provide a series of monographs dealing specifically with methods of carcinogen decon- tamination and destruction.

The previous volumes have dealt with aflatoxins and selected N-nitrosamines, and those planned for the future will cover N-nitrosamides, aryl halides, halogenated ethers, aromatic amines and hydrazines. This most recent monograph is concerned with meth- ods for the destruction of six of the most com- monly used polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons:

benz[a]anthracene, benzo[a]pyrene, 7-bromomethyl- benz[a]anthracene, dibenz[a,h]anthracene, 7,12-di- methylbenz[a]anthracene and 3-methylcholanthrene.

The first section, dealing with techniques of de- gradation, begins with a short table summarizing chemical and physical methods that have been used to decontaminate various media containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, principally benzo[a]pyrene.

This is followed by a brief assessment of three degradation methods that require the use of sodium hypochlorite, potassium dichromate or a nickel/aluminium alloy and that were discarded for various reasons. Three other methods, which require the use of potassium permanganate and/or concen- trated sulphuric acid, are subsequently covered in separate sections. Each of these sections describes the scope and field of application, the principle of the degradation procedure, detailed methods for de- stroying carcinogens both in solid form and when dissolved in various solvents, for cleaning glassware and for dealing with contaminated petri-dish contents and with accidental spillages, and finally methods of analysing for the completeness of degradation. Each method is summarized at the end of its section in the form of a flow diagram for easy reference.

The monograph concludes with two appendices, one on the nomenclature, molecular and structural information, and physical properties of the six poly- cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons dealt with, and the other comprising tables of published data on the chemical reactions and biological methods of de- gradation of these carcinogens. Many of the table entries indicate the efficiency of the conversion or degradation reported. These appendices are both fully referenced, as indeed are all appropriate sections of the monograph.

This volume, together with others in the series, will fill a long-standing gap in the literature by providing a comprehensive source of reference on methods for destroying commonly used chemical carcinogens. In doing so, it will make a valuable contribution to increased safety in laboratories where such materials are used.

F.C,T. 22/I~