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Handbook of toxicology
FdChem. Toxic. Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 135-137, 1991
Pergamon Press plc. Printed in Great Britain
Review Section REVIEWS OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Food Focus. Dietary Fibre--A Literature Survey. By E. Johnston. Leatherhead Food RA, Leatherhead, 1989. pp. 57. £50.00 Members. £70.00 Non-members. Brave indeed is the author who attempts to review such a difficult subject as dietary fibre. Early confidence in the beneficial effects of fibre on the diseases of modern developed societies, as expounded by Hugh Trowell and Denis Burkitt in the early 1970s, has evaporated. Controversy and uncertainty now surround virtually every aspect of dietary fibre, from its definition and analysis to its physiological effects in humans. This is largely a consequence of the extraordinary complexity and variety of the macromolecular constituents of plant cell walls. This survey has been written with the needs and concerns of food manufacturers in mind; for example, how is fibre analysed, and how can the various forms be used in foods? The analytical aspects of dietary fibre are dealt with clearly, concisely and objectively. The advantages and disadvantages of the various methods are outlined, and the controversy over the use of the Englyst method and its consequences for food labelling are lucidly explained. The section on dietary fibre and health summarizes in a few pages the major diseases that fibre is purported to alleviate, including diverticular disease, inttammatory bowel disease, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and cancer. The space allotted to this section precludes a comprehensive survey; the cancer aspects in particular are treated rather perfunctorily, with no mention of the extensive studies performed in laboratory animals. In contrast, the adverse effects of high-fibre diets, especially on mineral and vitamin availability, are covered clearly and in some detail. The potentially toxic effects of fibre are briefly summarized. A major portion of the booklet is devoted to the applications of fibre in foods. This section is very comprehensively and clearly laid out. It describes the structure, sources, properties and applications of each fibre type, including the different forms of bran, cellulose, cellulose derivatives, gums and pectins. Two important aspects that are not dealt with are fermentability of the different forms of fibre (and its consequences for their physiological effects), and the related and controversial topic of the energy content of fibre. Nevertheless, this survey will be of considerable interest and use to food manufacturers and, for some aspects of fibre at least, it provides a useful summary and starting point for anyone wanting to obtain more information about this area of nutrition. [Ian Rowland--BIBRA]
Handbook of Toxicology. Edited by T. J. Haley and W. O. Berndt. Hemisphere Publishing Corporation, London, 1987. pp. xiv + 697. £69.00. ISBN 0-89116403-0. Very few toxicologists, when asked to name the 'bible' of their chosen occupation, would fail to respond with the tome by Casarett and Doull. Now in its third edition, it has long been regarded as the standard test in toxicology. Is the toxicological world now in need of an alternative? Haley and Berndt (H & B) clearly think so, being the editors of this new volume, which has more than a passing resemblance to the word according to Casarett and Doull (C & D). The C & D gospel is divided into five testaments (units) whereas H & B opt for a single testament of 16 chapters, but the overall contents are very similar. Where C & D begin with 'Origin and Scope', followed by 'Distribution, Excretion and Absorption', 'Biotransformation' etc., H & B have 'Introduction and History', followed by 'Absorption, Distribution, Biotransformation, Conjugation, and Excretion'. C & D continues with toxic responses of the blood, immune system, liver, kidney, respiratory system, nervous system, skin, reproductive system and eyes, while H & B move on with neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, pulmonary toxicity, renal toxicity, reproductive toxicology and, later, immunotoxicology. The more specialized topics dealt with by C & D, such as the toxic effects of specific groups of compounds, are paralleled by H & B. Are there differences then between these two volumes? Is there a need for this potential usurper? At about 700 pages H & B's offering is shorter than C & D's (900 + pages), and there are notable omissions from the former--radioactivity/radiation toxicity, plant toxins, environmental toxicology and applications. H & B's text is not particularly strong in any of the areas it has in common with C & D ' s - - i t provides good, comprehensive but not outstanding coverage. For example, the preface promises that great emphasis will be placed on the biotransformation of compounds because of its importance in understanding mechanisms of toxicity, and yet the overview chapter on biotransformation is one of the least satisfying sections, being rather limited in its depth of coverage. In at least one other.aspect H & B's book is somewhat disappointing for a self-professed state-of-the-art text: its lack of reference to the value of in vitro approaches and their contributions to the unravelling of toxic phenomena. I doubt whether this volume will succeed Casarett and Doull. 135
136
Reviews of recent publications--Fd Chem. Toxic. 1991, Vol. 29, No. 2
Despite these misgivings, the book is full of up-todate information, and is well written, well produced and thoroughly indexed, and has extensive bibliographies that provide a useful introduction to the primary literature. [John Phillips--BIBILA]
Toxicology--A Primer on Toxicology Principles and Applications. Edited by M. A. Kamrin. Lewis Publishers, Inc., Michigan, 1988. pp. xiii + 145. £21.85. ISBN 0-87371-133-5. For the reader who has no knowledge of toxicology and who wishes to understand in general terms how potentially toxic chemicals are recognized and evaluated, the principles are dealt with adequately in the first half of this book. Those who have some knowledge of toxicology, however, would lose little by skimming the first five chapters. The sixth chapter outlines how animal tests and epidemiological studies are used to assess toxicity, and the remainder of the book is a discussion of how such information is translated into an assessment of risk to human populations, and how, in practice, this risk is managed. To illustrate risk management in practice, four case histories are considered in detail--artificial sweeteners, asbestos, formaldehyde and benzene--with a chapter devoted to each. In reviewing these cases, the author never loses sight of his intention to exemplify the way in which a multiplicity of pressures influences risk management decisions, describing the parallel effects of new experimental and epidemiological findings, technical feasibility of safety measures, changing public attitudes, economic pressures on industry and an evolving viewpoint of regulatory bodies. He also warns readers against the tendency to pay insufficient heed to the uncertainties in evaluating health hazard--a tendency that weighs against the scientists who express well founded reservations on risk assessment issues, and favours those who exploit the expectations of the public for absolute certainty from science. Professor Kamrin's chief role at the Center for Environmental Toxicology at Michigan State University is as a communicator of the scientific principles of toxicology to a variety of audiences, and these skills are evident in his fluent narrative. Almost inevitably though, his case histories centre on events in the USA; legislative requirements of other countries are cited mainly to illustrate the variability of safety standards with differences in national risk assessment and management criteria. Although the Eurocentric enquirer might feel deprived, these carefully chosen examples convincingly illustrate the author's arguments, and juxtaposed in this way provide a compelling read. This is a short book that could be read comfortably in an evening. It should appeal to those with little initial knowledge of toxicology who wish to bring some level-headedness to their evaluation of information on toxicological issues presented in the mass media and elsewhere. [David PelIing--BIBRA]
19119 Year Book of Toxicology. Edited by Irving Sunshine, CRC Press, Inc., 1989. pp. 198. £35.50. ISBN 0-8493-3301-1. I eagerly opened the 1989 Year Book o f Toxicology, anticipating--at the very least--the results of the year's top toxicology investigative competitions, most promising new toxins, and perhaps even league tables of the best toxicological institutions! Instead, I was presented with selected abstracts from the year's research efforts. The book made a poor start, I felt. Dr Sunshine bravely admits the difficulties of keeping abreast of toxicological developments, but the over-apologetic tone of the preface served to dampen my early enthusiasm. Phrases such as "choosing... posed a real problem", "encouraged to leaf through", "no objective criteria", "relatively arbitrary decision" and "a haven for browsers" did not exactly inspire confidence in what was to come. Taking Dr Sunshine's advice, I leafed through the 257 articles in their nine sections. The format is easy to cope with. For each entry a brief abstract (written by the editor) describes the methods, results and, often, conclusions. Each abstract is accompanied by a brief comment, from an identified member of the editoral board, that is intended to support the paper's inclusion in the Year Book. Dr Sunshine's abstracts appear to be an accurate reflection of the original work, based on checking a selection at random. For the general readership they 'set the scene' rather more clearly than the original authors' abstracts do, though the latter would perhaps be more appreciated by those with a specialized interest in a topic. Frankly though, I was often disappointed with the choice of study. Of the 257 papers, 116 relate only to analytical aspects. Medicinal and recreational drug papers compose the majority of the remainder; Section 7 (Non-Drug Poisoning Reports) is introduced rather begrudgingly and contains despairingly few (five) abstracts. Given Dr Sunshine's description of toxicology as a multifaceted field, it would have been nice to have seen more than just a glimpse of some of the aspects. Moreover, if these were the highlights of the toxicological year, I feel tempted to return my salary, since I appear to have slept through it. The comments vary greatly in value. Some are excellent; others a waste of paper. To give two examples of the latter: Abstract 9-38 is entitled "Quantitative Determination of Erythromycin 2'Ethylsuccinate in Human Plasma by Fast Atom Bombardment Mass Spectrometry". What incisive/n toto comment does this paper attract? "A quantitative determination of erythromycin and its 2'-ethylsuccinate in plasma by FAB mass spectrometry is described". Impressed? Neither was I. How about Abstract 9-42, "Thermal Desorption GC/MS Analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds in the Offices of Smokers and Nonsmokers" This is accorded the enlightening comment, "Volatile organic compounds in the offices of smokers and nonsmokers were determined by thermal desorption GC/MS"! There are others, but I labour the point. Clearly it was an exciting year. Entry 14 in Section 1 (Animal Studies), on induction of hepatic peroxisome proliferation in
Pergamon Press plc. Printed in Great Britain
Review Section REVIEWS OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Food Focus. Dietary Fibre--A Literature Survey. By E. Johnston. Leatherhead Food RA, Leatherhead, 1989. pp. 57. £50.00 Members. £70.00 Non-members. Brave indeed is the author who attempts to review such a difficult subject as dietary fibre. Early confidence in the beneficial effects of fibre on the diseases of modern developed societies, as expounded by Hugh Trowell and Denis Burkitt in the early 1970s, has evaporated. Controversy and uncertainty now surround virtually every aspect of dietary fibre, from its definition and analysis to its physiological effects in humans. This is largely a consequence of the extraordinary complexity and variety of the macromolecular constituents of plant cell walls. This survey has been written with the needs and concerns of food manufacturers in mind; for example, how is fibre analysed, and how can the various forms be used in foods? The analytical aspects of dietary fibre are dealt with clearly, concisely and objectively. The advantages and disadvantages of the various methods are outlined, and the controversy over the use of the Englyst method and its consequences for food labelling are lucidly explained. The section on dietary fibre and health summarizes in a few pages the major diseases that fibre is purported to alleviate, including diverticular disease, inttammatory bowel disease, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and cancer. The space allotted to this section precludes a comprehensive survey; the cancer aspects in particular are treated rather perfunctorily, with no mention of the extensive studies performed in laboratory animals. In contrast, the adverse effects of high-fibre diets, especially on mineral and vitamin availability, are covered clearly and in some detail. The potentially toxic effects of fibre are briefly summarized. A major portion of the booklet is devoted to the applications of fibre in foods. This section is very comprehensively and clearly laid out. It describes the structure, sources, properties and applications of each fibre type, including the different forms of bran, cellulose, cellulose derivatives, gums and pectins. Two important aspects that are not dealt with are fermentability of the different forms of fibre (and its consequences for their physiological effects), and the related and controversial topic of the energy content of fibre. Nevertheless, this survey will be of considerable interest and use to food manufacturers and, for some aspects of fibre at least, it provides a useful summary and starting point for anyone wanting to obtain more information about this area of nutrition. [Ian Rowland--BIBRA]
Handbook of Toxicology. Edited by T. J. Haley and W. O. Berndt. Hemisphere Publishing Corporation, London, 1987. pp. xiv + 697. £69.00. ISBN 0-89116403-0. Very few toxicologists, when asked to name the 'bible' of their chosen occupation, would fail to respond with the tome by Casarett and Doull. Now in its third edition, it has long been regarded as the standard test in toxicology. Is the toxicological world now in need of an alternative? Haley and Berndt (H & B) clearly think so, being the editors of this new volume, which has more than a passing resemblance to the word according to Casarett and Doull (C & D). The C & D gospel is divided into five testaments (units) whereas H & B opt for a single testament of 16 chapters, but the overall contents are very similar. Where C & D begin with 'Origin and Scope', followed by 'Distribution, Excretion and Absorption', 'Biotransformation' etc., H & B have 'Introduction and History', followed by 'Absorption, Distribution, Biotransformation, Conjugation, and Excretion'. C & D continues with toxic responses of the blood, immune system, liver, kidney, respiratory system, nervous system, skin, reproductive system and eyes, while H & B move on with neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, pulmonary toxicity, renal toxicity, reproductive toxicology and, later, immunotoxicology. The more specialized topics dealt with by C & D, such as the toxic effects of specific groups of compounds, are paralleled by H & B. Are there differences then between these two volumes? Is there a need for this potential usurper? At about 700 pages H & B's offering is shorter than C & D's (900 + pages), and there are notable omissions from the former--radioactivity/radiation toxicity, plant toxins, environmental toxicology and applications. H & B's text is not particularly strong in any of the areas it has in common with C & D ' s - - i t provides good, comprehensive but not outstanding coverage. For example, the preface promises that great emphasis will be placed on the biotransformation of compounds because of its importance in understanding mechanisms of toxicity, and yet the overview chapter on biotransformation is one of the least satisfying sections, being rather limited in its depth of coverage. In at least one other.aspect H & B's book is somewhat disappointing for a self-professed state-of-the-art text: its lack of reference to the value of in vitro approaches and their contributions to the unravelling of toxic phenomena. I doubt whether this volume will succeed Casarett and Doull. 135
136
Reviews of recent publications--Fd Chem. Toxic. 1991, Vol. 29, No. 2
Despite these misgivings, the book is full of up-todate information, and is well written, well produced and thoroughly indexed, and has extensive bibliographies that provide a useful introduction to the primary literature. [John Phillips--BIBILA]
Toxicology--A Primer on Toxicology Principles and Applications. Edited by M. A. Kamrin. Lewis Publishers, Inc., Michigan, 1988. pp. xiii + 145. £21.85. ISBN 0-87371-133-5. For the reader who has no knowledge of toxicology and who wishes to understand in general terms how potentially toxic chemicals are recognized and evaluated, the principles are dealt with adequately in the first half of this book. Those who have some knowledge of toxicology, however, would lose little by skimming the first five chapters. The sixth chapter outlines how animal tests and epidemiological studies are used to assess toxicity, and the remainder of the book is a discussion of how such information is translated into an assessment of risk to human populations, and how, in practice, this risk is managed. To illustrate risk management in practice, four case histories are considered in detail--artificial sweeteners, asbestos, formaldehyde and benzene--with a chapter devoted to each. In reviewing these cases, the author never loses sight of his intention to exemplify the way in which a multiplicity of pressures influences risk management decisions, describing the parallel effects of new experimental and epidemiological findings, technical feasibility of safety measures, changing public attitudes, economic pressures on industry and an evolving viewpoint of regulatory bodies. He also warns readers against the tendency to pay insufficient heed to the uncertainties in evaluating health hazard--a tendency that weighs against the scientists who express well founded reservations on risk assessment issues, and favours those who exploit the expectations of the public for absolute certainty from science. Professor Kamrin's chief role at the Center for Environmental Toxicology at Michigan State University is as a communicator of the scientific principles of toxicology to a variety of audiences, and these skills are evident in his fluent narrative. Almost inevitably though, his case histories centre on events in the USA; legislative requirements of other countries are cited mainly to illustrate the variability of safety standards with differences in national risk assessment and management criteria. Although the Eurocentric enquirer might feel deprived, these carefully chosen examples convincingly illustrate the author's arguments, and juxtaposed in this way provide a compelling read. This is a short book that could be read comfortably in an evening. It should appeal to those with little initial knowledge of toxicology who wish to bring some level-headedness to their evaluation of information on toxicological issues presented in the mass media and elsewhere. [David PelIing--BIBRA]
19119 Year Book of Toxicology. Edited by Irving Sunshine, CRC Press, Inc., 1989. pp. 198. £35.50. ISBN 0-8493-3301-1. I eagerly opened the 1989 Year Book o f Toxicology, anticipating--at the very least--the results of the year's top toxicology investigative competitions, most promising new toxins, and perhaps even league tables of the best toxicological institutions! Instead, I was presented with selected abstracts from the year's research efforts. The book made a poor start, I felt. Dr Sunshine bravely admits the difficulties of keeping abreast of toxicological developments, but the over-apologetic tone of the preface served to dampen my early enthusiasm. Phrases such as "choosing... posed a real problem", "encouraged to leaf through", "no objective criteria", "relatively arbitrary decision" and "a haven for browsers" did not exactly inspire confidence in what was to come. Taking Dr Sunshine's advice, I leafed through the 257 articles in their nine sections. The format is easy to cope with. For each entry a brief abstract (written by the editor) describes the methods, results and, often, conclusions. Each abstract is accompanied by a brief comment, from an identified member of the editoral board, that is intended to support the paper's inclusion in the Year Book. Dr Sunshine's abstracts appear to be an accurate reflection of the original work, based on checking a selection at random. For the general readership they 'set the scene' rather more clearly than the original authors' abstracts do, though the latter would perhaps be more appreciated by those with a specialized interest in a topic. Frankly though, I was often disappointed with the choice of study. Of the 257 papers, 116 relate only to analytical aspects. Medicinal and recreational drug papers compose the majority of the remainder; Section 7 (Non-Drug Poisoning Reports) is introduced rather begrudgingly and contains despairingly few (five) abstracts. Given Dr Sunshine's description of toxicology as a multifaceted field, it would have been nice to have seen more than just a glimpse of some of the aspects. Moreover, if these were the highlights of the toxicological year, I feel tempted to return my salary, since I appear to have slept through it. The comments vary greatly in value. Some are excellent; others a waste of paper. To give two examples of the latter: Abstract 9-38 is entitled "Quantitative Determination of Erythromycin 2'Ethylsuccinate in Human Plasma by Fast Atom Bombardment Mass Spectrometry". What incisive/n toto comment does this paper attract? "A quantitative determination of erythromycin and its 2'-ethylsuccinate in plasma by FAB mass spectrometry is described". Impressed? Neither was I. How about Abstract 9-42, "Thermal Desorption GC/MS Analysis of Volatile Organic Compounds in the Offices of Smokers and Nonsmokers" This is accorded the enlightening comment, "Volatile organic compounds in the offices of smokers and nonsmokers were determined by thermal desorption GC/MS"! There are others, but I labour the point. Clearly it was an exciting year. Entry 14 in Section 1 (Animal Studies), on induction of hepatic peroxisome proliferation in