 |
|
Toxic Chemicals and Defects
Joan Stephenson, PhD
JAMA. 2000;284:296.
|
|
| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings. |
|
|
|
New discoveries in genetics and advances in understanding the processes involved in normal development should be used to assess how human development may be disrupted by potentially toxic chemicals, according to a new report by the National Research Council. About 3% of all developmental defects are caused by exposure to toxic substances, both manufactured chemicals and chemicals occurring in nature, and at least 25% may be traced to a combination of genetic and environmental factors, the report noted.
Relatively simple tests using animal models could provide clues about which developmental pathways are vulnerable to specific chemicals, according to the report. New knowledge about genetic variability in humans could also help researchers better understand how the interplay between specific genes and environmental factors can lead to developmental defects.
Copies of Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment may be ordered from the National Academy Press by calling . . . [Full Text of this Article]
|
