With a weight-of-the-evidence approach, cancer risk assessment indentifies hazards, determines dose-response relationships, and assesses exposure to characterize the true risk. This book focuses on the quantitative methods for conducting chemical cancer risk assessments for solvents, metals, mixtures, and nanoparticles. It links these to the basic toxicology and biology of cancer, along with the impacts on regulatory guidelines and standards. By providing insightful perspective, Cancer Risk Assessment helps researchers develop a discriminate eye when it comes to interpreting data accurately and separating relevant information from erroneous.
Risk assessment has become a dominant public policy tool for making choices, based on limited resources, to protect public health and the environment. It has been instrumental to the mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as other federal agencies in evaluating public health concerns, informing regulatory and technological decisions, prioritizing research needs and funding, and in developing approaches for cost-benefit analysis. However, risk assessment is at a crossroads. Despite advances in the field, risk assessment faces a number of significant challenges including lengthy delays in making complex decisions; lack of data leading to significant uncertainty in risk assessments; and many chemicals in the marketplace that have not been evaluated and emerging agents requiring assessment. Science and Decisions makes practical scientific and technical recommendations to address these challenges. This book is a complement to the widely used 1983 National Academies book, Risk Assessment in the Federal Government (also known as the Red Book). The earlier book established a framework for the concepts and conduct of risk assessment that has been adopted by numerous expert committees, regulatory agencies, and public health institutions. The new book embeds these concepts within a broader framework for risk-based decision-making. Together, these are essential references for those working in the regulatory and public health fields.
Despite increasing knowledge of human nutrition, the dietary contribution to cancer remains a troubling question. Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens assembles the best available information on the magnitude of potential cancer riskâ€"and potential anticarcinogenic effectâ€"from naturally occurring chemicals compared with risk from synthetic chemical constituents. The committee draws important conclusions about diet and cancer, including the carcinogenic role of excess calories and fat, the anticarcinogenic benefit of fiber and other substances, and the impact of food additive regulation. The book offers recommendations for epidemiological and diet research. Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens provides a readable overview of issues and addresses critical questions: Does diet contribute to an appreciable proportion of human cancer? Are there significant interactions between carcinogens and anticarcinogens in the diet? The volume discusses the mechanisms of carcinogenic and anticarcinogenic properties and considers whether techniques used to evaluate the carcinogenic potential of synthetics can be used with naturally occurring chemicals. The committee provides criteria for prioritizing the vast number of substances that need to be tested. Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens clarifies the issues and sets the direction for further investigations into diet and cancer. This volume will be of interest to anyone involved in food and health issues: policymakers, regulators, researchers, nutrition professionals, and health advocates.
Presents state-of-the-art regulatory cancer risk assessment models including a biologically based model for two-hit carcinogenesis and cell proliferation! This book comprehensively reviews the various roles of genetic toxicology in human cancer risk assessment conducted by United States and worldwide regulatory agencies-discussing hazard identification, dose-response relationships, exposure assessment, and current practices of risk characterization. Examines predictive values of mutagenicity tests, mechanisms of carcinogenesis, and conventional genotoxicity tests required by the International Conference on Harmonization and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development/Environmental Protection Agency guidelines! Comprised of contributions from prominent experts and risk assessors and including nearly 1200 references to facilitate further study, Genetic Toxicology and Cancer Risk Assessment reviews contemporary human cancer genetics as related to the mutagenic nature of carcinogenesis calculates acceptable exposure levels based on a carcinogenic threshold dose for nongenotoxic carcinogens reveals the rationale and methodology of quantitative estimation of human cancer risks using mathematical models discusses the threshold concept of carcinogenesis demonstrates how bacterial mutagenicity assays are the most reliable for predicting rodent carcinogens considers structural activity relationship (SAR) analysis of chemical carcinogenicity describes the emergence of the mouse lymphoma microwell and in vitro micronucleus assays illustrates the use of genetic biomarkers for dosimetry analysis and more! Linking human cancer genetics, mutagenicity assays, mechanisms of carcinogenesis, carcinogenic thresholds, molecular epidemiology, mathematical modeling, and quantitative cancer risk analysis, Genetic Toxicology and Cancer Risk Assessment is a must-have reference for toxicologists; oncologists; geneticists; biostatisticians; reproductive, developmental, cell, and molecular biologists; endocrinologists; biochemists; and upper-level undergraduate, graduate, and medical school students in these disciplines.
The scientific basis, inference assumptions, regulatory uses, and research needs in risk assessment are considered in this two-part volume. The first part, Use of Maximum Tolerated Dose in Animal Bioassays for Carcinogenicity, focuses on whether the maximum tolerated dose should continue to be used in carcinogenesis bioassays. The committee considers several options for modifying current bioassay procedures. The second part, Two-Stage Models of Carcinogenesis, stems from efforts to identify improved means of cancer risk assessment that have resulted in the development of a mathematical dose-response model based on a paradigm for the biologic phenomena thought to be associated with carcinogenesis.
Can the electric and magnetic fields (EMF) to which people are routinely exposed cause health effects? This volume assesses the data and draws conclusions about the consequences of human exposure to EMF. The committee examines what is known about three kinds of health effects associated with EMF: cancer, primarily childhood leukemia; reproduction and development; and neurobiological effects. This book provides a detailed discussion of hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization for each. Possible Health Effects of Exposure to Residential Electric and Magnetic Fields also discusses the tools available to measure exposure, common types of exposures, and what is known about the effects of exposure. The committee looks at correlations between EMF exposure and carcinogenesis, mutagenesis, neurobehavioral effects, reproductive and developmental effects, effects on melatonin and other neurochemicals, and effects on bone healing and stimulated cell growth.
The public depends on competent risk assessment from the federal government and the scientific community to grapple with the threat of pollution. When risk reports turn out to be overblownâ€"or when risks are overlookedâ€"public skepticism abounds. This comprehensive and readable book explores how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can improve its risk assessment practices, with a focus on implementation of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. With a wealth of detailed information, pertinent examples, and revealing analysis, the volume explores the "default option" and other basic concepts. It offers two views of EPA operations: The first examines how EPA currently assesses exposure to hazardous air pollutants, evaluates the toxicity of a substance, and characterizes the risk to the public. The second, more holistic, view explores how EPA can improve in several critical areas of risk assessment by focusing on cross-cutting themes and incorporating more scientific judgment. This comprehensive volume will be important to the EPA and other agencies, risk managers, environmental advocates, scientists, faculty, students, and concerned individuals.
Human health risk assessment involves the measuring of risk of exposure to disease, with a view to improving disease prevention. Mathematical, biological, statistical, and computational methods play a key role in exposure assessment, hazard assessment and identification, and dose-response modelling. Recent Advances in Quantitative Methods in Cancer and Human Health Risk Assessment is a comprehensive text that accounts for the wealth of new biological data as well as new biological, toxicological, and medical approaches adopted in risk assessment. It provides an authoritative compendium of state-of-the-art methods proposed and used, featuring contributions from eminent authors with varied experience from academia, government, and industry. Provides a comprehensive summary of currently available quantitative methods for risk assessment of both cancer and non-cancer problems. Describes the applications and the limitations of current mathematical modelling and statistical analysis methods (classical and Bayesian). Includes an extensive introduction and discussion to each chapter. Features detailed studies of risk assessments using biologically-based modelling approaches. Discusses the varying computational aspects of the methods proposed. Provides a global perspective on human health risk assessment by featuring case studies from a wide range of countries. Features an extensive bibliography with links to relevant background information within each chapter. Recent Advances in Quantitative Methods in Cancer and Human Health Risk Assessment will appeal to researchers and practitioners in public health & epidemiology, and postgraduate students alike. It will also be of interest to professionals working in risk assessment agencies.
This book is the seventh in a series of titles from the National Research Council that addresses the effects of exposure to low dose LET (Linear Energy Transfer) ionizing radiation and human health. Updating information previously presented in the 1990 publication, Health Effects of Exposure to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation: BEIR V, this book draws upon new data in both epidemiologic and experimental research. Ionizing radiation arises from both natural and man-made sources and at very high doses can produce damaging effects in human tissue that can be evident within days after exposure. However, it is the low-dose exposures that are the focus of this book. So-called “late” effects, such as cancer, are produced many years after the initial exposure. This book is among the first of its kind to include detailed risk estimates for cancer incidence in addition to cancer mortality. BEIR VII offers a full review of the available biological, biophysical, and epidemiological literature since the last BEIR report on the subject and develops the most up-to-date and comprehensive risk estimates for cancer and other health effects from exposure to low-level ionizing radiation.
