Environmental Carcinogen

L. Fishbeia and 1. K. O Neill, eds.. Environmental Carcinogens Methods of Analysis and Exposure Measurement, Vol. 10, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France, 1988, Chapts. 7—12. 

Determination of environmental carcinogens is not an end in itself. Although often misunderstood or misinterpreted, the aim of scientific work in this area is to collect data on human exposure, to pinpoint emission and immission sources and to determine the causes of potential health risks to humans. The ultimate aim is always elimination or reduction of human exposure and thereby prevention of human cancer. In view of the slow progress in the treatment of human cancer this approach is an important strategy in the fight against this disease. 

Egan, H. Preussmann, R. Walker, E.A. Castegnaro, M. Wasserman, A.E. Eds. "Environmental Carcinogens Selected Methods of Analysis Vol. 1 - Analysis of Volatile Nitrosamines in Food." lARC Scientific Publications No. 18. International Agency for Research on Cancer Lyon, 1978. Walker, E.A. Griciute, L. Castegnaro, M. Borzsonyi, M., Eds. "N-Nitroso Compounds Analysis Formation and Occurrence" lARC Scientific Publications No. 31. International Agency for Research on Cancer Lyon, 1980. Hedler, L. Schurr, C. Marquadt, P. J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 1979, 681-684. 

Tubal ligation is another procedure that has shown potential for risk reduction. However, it is not recommended as a sole procedure in prophylaxis. Protective effect may be due to limiting exposure of the ovary to environmental carcinogens. A case-control study conducted by Narod and colleagues found that a history of tubal ligation in /f RCA-positive women was associated with a statistically significant 63% reduction in risk.22... 

There is also some evidence suggesting that chronic inflammatory processes and various environmental carcinogens play a role.2,13... 

J.P. Leape. "Quantitative Risk Assessments in Regulation of Environmental Carcinogens." Harvard Environmental Law Review, 4, 1980, p. 86. 

Quong, D., O Neill, I. K., Poncelet, D., and Neufeld, R. J., Immobilized Cells Basics and Applications, in Gastro-Intestinal Protection of Cellular Component DNA within an Artificial Cell System for Environmental Carcinogen Biomonitoring (R. G. Wijffels, R. M. Buitelaar, H. S. Wessels, C. Bucke, and J. Tramper Eds.), p. 814. Elsevier Science, Amsterdam (1996). 

Grimmer, G. (ed.). 1983. Environmental Carcinogens Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. Chemistry, Occurrence, Biochemistry, Carcinogenicity. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. 261 pp. 

Hardin, J.A., Hinoshita, F., and Sherr, D.H. Mechanisms by which benzo[a]pyrene, an environmental carcinogen, suppresses B cell lymphopoiesis, Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol., 117, 155, 1992. 

Pellizzari ED, Sheldon LS, Bursey JT. 1985a. Method 25. GC/MS determination of volatile halocarbons in blood and tissue. In Environmental Carcinogens selected methods of analysis. Fishbein L, O Neill IK, eds. Lyon, France. International Agency for Research on Cancer, 7 435-444. 

To develop methods to identify individual or population susceptibility to environmental carcinogens, focusing on regulatory mechanisms for metabolism of carcinogens or repair mechanisms for carcinogen induced DNA damage between individuals or populations. 

At the same time that this increased awareness to environmental carcinogens arose, the environmental movement was in full bloom. Since its established political goals were quite consistent with environmental carcinogen fears, the two were quite complementary. The history and development of the environmental movement are a fascinating and complex story in itself however, it is not an appropriate subject for this paper. Let it suffice to say that it was the combination of the cancer fears and the environmental movement that gave the political strength to pass TSCA into law. 

MacKenzie Peers A. 1985. The determination of methyl bromide in air-method 8. In Fishbein L, O Neill IK, ed. Environmental carcinogens selected methods of analysis. Vol. 7. Some volatile halogenated hydrocarbons. Lyon France International Agency for Research on Cancer, 227-233. 

But we are moving too quickly. Before we can begin to contemplate the contribution of all these environmental carcinogens to the total cancer problem we need to acquire a better understanding of what is meant by the terms carcinogen or cancer-causing chemical and of how certain substances get to carry these labels. 

Most scientists would hold that these unknowns and uncertainties in the regulatory risk-assessment model would tend to favor risk overestimation rather than underestimation or accurate prediction. While this view seems correct, it must be admitted that there is no epidemiological method available to test the hypothesis of an extra lifetime cancer risk of about 10 per 1000 000 from methylene chloride in drinking water. The same conclusion holds for most environmental carcinogens. It is also the case that more uncertainties attend the risk assessment process than we have indicated above. 

Bowman MC, Rushing CR. 1981. Trace-level determination of benzidine, 3,3 -dichlorobenzidine in animal chow wastewater and human urine. In Egan H, ed. Environmental carcinogens - selected methods of analysis. Volmne 4. Some aromatic amines and azo dyes in the general and industrial environment. Lyon, France International Agency for Research on Cancer, 159-174. 

Letterman RD (ed) (1999) Water quality and treatment A handbook of community water supplies, 5th ed., Amer. Water Works Assoc., McGraw-Hill, New York Lijinsky W, Epstein SS (1970) Nitrosamines as environmental carcinogens. Nature 225 21-23 Lin S, Marshall EG, Davidson GK (1994) Potential parental exposure to pesticides and hmb reduction defects. Scand J Work Environ Health 20 166-179 Linak, E, Lutz, HJ, Nakamura E (1990) Chlorinated Solvents. In Linak E, Lutz HJ, Nakamura E, C2 chlorinated solvents, chemical economics handbook, Stanford Research Institute, Menlo Park, CA, pp. 632.30000a-632.3001z Lindsay WL (1979) Chemical equilibria in soils. John Wiley, New York... 

J. Barek, J. Cvacka, A. Muck, V. Quaiserova and J. Zima, Electrochemical methods for monitoring of environmental carcinogens. Fresenius Journal of Analytical Chemistry, 2001, 369(7-8), 556-562. 

Bingbam E, Falk HL Environmental carcinogens. The modifying effect of cocarcinogens on the threshold response. Arch Environ Health 19 779, 1969... 

Blejer HP, Arlon R Talc A possible occupational and environmental carcinogen, f Occup Med 15 92-97, 1973... 

For a more detailed overview of electrochemical detection, the interested reader is referred to Kissinger [59]. The range of applications snitable for electrochemical detection are discnssed in an excellent review by Pacakova and Stulik [60]. Perhaps the most biomedically important application is the determination of catecholamines in bioflnids [61-63]. Electrochemical detection has also lent itself to the detection of other medically important amines snch as histamine [64] and nenrotrans-mitters [65]. Additionally, electrochemical detection has been applied to the detection of certain antibiotics [66] and environmental carcinogens [67]. 

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