........ published in NEWSLETTER # 50
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........ published in NEWSLETTER # 50
BIOMARKERS: RESEARCH AND APPLICATION IN THE ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
by Dr. L.R. Shugart, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge/TN (U.S.A.)
Biological Markers (biomarkers) are measurements at the molecular, biochemical, or cellular level in either wild populations from contaminated habitats or in organisms experimentally exposed to pollutants that indicate that the organism has been exposed to toxic chemicals, and the magnitude of the organism's response to the contaminant. The concept of using biomarkers to evaluate biological hazards has attracted considerable attention from regulatory agencies and is currently under evaluation at a number of research facilities throughout the world. Although promising, the development of biomarker_based biomonitoring is complicated by a range of technical issues. In addition to the need for developing and validating a battery of biomarkers, real progress in the field will require agreement within the international scientific community on the proper application and interpretation of biomarkers for environmental assessment _ in short, the development of a unified strategy for biomarker research. The purpose of the NATO Advanced Study Workshop that produced this book was to advance this agenda.
The book (NATO ASI SERIES H68) is divided into six chapters that deal with: i) key issues that need to be agreed upon by the scientific and regulatory communities if a rational strategy for the use of biomarkers is to be formulated; ii) the concept of biomarker responses; iii) the selection of study sites and indicator species; iv) the statistical and mathematical techniques needed for interpretation of data; v) basic research needed to provide a fundamental understanding of the toxicology underlying the biomarker measurements; and vi) check_lists for application in the assessment of environmental health.
The `Biomarker Approach' in the assessment of environmental health is rapidly gaining acceptance by the scientific community. This book is important because it provides a common strategy for the application of biomarkers. The next essential task will be to educate investigators in the use of current techniques and is predicated on the observation that biomarker studies are interdisciplinary by nature and require the integration of numerous research specialities.
Reference books: A250, H68