5th International conference on environmental mutagens and 20th anniversary of the environmental mutagen society

Mutation Research, 234 (1990)47-49

47

Elsevier MUTENV 08744 Meeting Report

5th International Conference on Environmental Mutagens and 20th Anniversary of the Environmental Mutagen Society Cleveland, O H (U.S.A.), 1 0 - 1 5 July 1989

F r e d e r i c k J. d e Serres Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 (U.S.A.)

(Received28 July 1989) (Accepted25 August 1989)

Keywords: MeetingReport; 5th ICEM; 20th AnniversaryEMS

The theme of the 5th International Conference on Environmental Mutagens held in Cleveland on 10-15 July 1989 was 'Environmental Mutagenesis and Society: A Reassessment of Need'. The Conference was opened with a Plenary Lecture by Dr. David Brusick, entitled 'Where have we been? The last 20 years of environmental mutagenesis'. He discussed the original needs that led to the formation of the Environmental Mutagen Society in North America in 1969, the European Society in 1970 and sister societies in later years, all over the world. This introduction was followed by a concise review of accomplishments during the past 20 years. The Conference was attended by 897 participants, with 328 from countries other than the U.S.A. There were participants from over 38 countries, with exceptionally large delegations from Japan and India. During the 6 days of the Conference, the participants had to choose between approximately 240 lectures arranged into different 'tracks' by the Scientific Program Committee, chaired by Dr. Mortimer Mendelsohn. The Committee attempted to present new research in the different areas of environmental mutagenesis and genetic toxicology by organizing the lectures into 5 tracks to enable the participants to follow developments in particular areas. The 5 tracts were as follows: Track A -

Basic Mechanisms; Track B - Metabolism, Testing Methods, Chromosomes; Track C - Epidemiology and Related Animal Studies; Track D Carcinogenesis; and Track E - Environmental Genotoxicity, Risk and Modulation. The abstracts for the invited lectures and the posters were published in Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis (Vol. 14, Suppl. 16, 1989). It is impossible to comment on the content of either without being arbitrary and highly selective. Such a task, with over 900 presentations to consider, is beyond the scope of this report. The content of the abstracts will be expanded in the manuscripts submitted by those presenting invited lectures in the Conference Proceedings. A series of 680 posters were arranged into 4 poster sessions held in the Adelbert Gymnasium along with the commercial exhibits. The poster sessions were also well-attended and well-appreciated. Participants, in general, seemed to like the way these had been grouped by the Poster Committee as well as physically arranged by the Exhibits Committee. The scientific program, which also included a series of 7 workshops on 12 July, was greeted with great enthusiasm. The workshops were as follows: (1) Human hprt Mutation Analysis, organized by Irene Jones, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA (U.S.A.) and Tom

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48 Skopek, Chemical Industry Institute for Toxicology, Research Triangle Park, NC (U.S.A.), (2) Mutagenicity of the Supermutagen 2-Amino-N6hydroxyadenine (AHA) in Eukaryotic Organisms, organized by Frederick de Serres, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC (U.S.A.), (3) Mechanisms of Antimutagenesis, organized by R.C. von Borstel, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta (Canada), (4) Tradescantia Micronucleus Bioassay, organized by Te-Hsiu Ma, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL (U.S.A.), (5) EULA Research Program on Water Quality, organized by Fayuk W. Alay, Universidad de Concepcion, Concepcion (Chile), (6) Genotoxicity of in vitro Radon Exposure organized by Rick F. Jostes, Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, WA (U.S.A.), and (7) Recent Advances in Mammalian Cell Mutation Assays for Industrial Genotoxicity Evaluation, organized by Albert P. Li, Monsanto Company, St. Louis, MO (U.S.A.). In the closing plenary session, each of the 7 speakers presented interesting perspectives on different subject areas in environmental mutagenesis to address the general issue of 'Where are we going?' The titles and speakers were as follows: Basic Mechanisms of Environmental Mutagenesis, Bryn A. Bridges (presented by Jane Cole), University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton (England); Cytogenetics in Environmental Mutagenesis, R. Julian Preston, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (U.S.A.); Somatic Mutations, Alec A. Morley, Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, South Australia (Australia); Human Carcinogenesis and Environmental Mutagenesis, Takashi Sugimura, National Cancer Center, Tokyo (Japan); Future Development of Short-Term Tests, John Ashby, ICI Central Toxicology Laboratory, A1derly Park, Cheshire (England); Modulation of Genotoxicity, Claes Ramel, University of Stockholm, Stockholm (Sweden); Mutagenesis and Carcinogenesis: Endogenous and Exogenous Factors, Bruce N. Ames, University of California, Berkeley, CA (U.S.A.). The Conference was closed with remarks by Dr. Robert H. Haynes, York University, Toronto, Ontario (Canada), the new President of IAEMS, and Dr. R. Julian Preston, the new President of EMS. Finally, the variety of social arrangements in

the evenings, with everyone able to participate was received with great enthusiasm and gratitude. Thanks to the heroic efforts of the Special Events Committee chaired by Dr. David Brusick and the Exhibits Committee, chaired by Dr. Eugene Elmore, this additional income made it possible to schedule a series of excellent and unusual evening events. On Monday evening, the Conference was officially opened with a Welcome Reception held at the Thwing Center with a buffet dinner. On Tuesday evening, a special evening of champagne, dinner and dancing to the music of Trevor Guy's Guys and Doll Orchestra was held at the Landerhaven Country Club in Mayfield Heights, OH. On Wednesday evening, an Old-fashioned style American 'Picnic on the Quad' was held in the Fribley Cafeteria due to impending rain and thunderstorms. On Thursday evening, the EMS Award Ceremony and 20th Anniversary Reception was held at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in University Circle. After a buffet dinner and the awards ceremony a lecture on 'How we choose our spouses and sex partners' was given by Dr. Jared Diamond, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA (U.S.A.). On Friday evening, after an unusual evening at the Blossom Music Center consisting of dinner served in an outdoor pavilion and a concert with excellent music by the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra and the Blossom Festival Chorus, the fireworks finale seemed to provide the perfect climax for the week's activities! Many manuscripts have been submitted to the Publications Committee, chaired by Richard A1bertini, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT (U.S.A.), for the Conference Proceedings. The Proceedings are expected to go to press by 1 September 1989 and will be published as a book by Alan Liss, Inc., New York. The local arrangements for the Conference went exceptionally well, thanks to the excellent organization of events and activities by the Local Arrangements Committee chaired by Dr. Herbert Rosenkranz and staffed by Ede Spencer and Liz Southworth; they were assisted by a very capable staff of local students. This group monitored the entire operation and had many 'adjustments' to make throughout the week. The 5th ICEM was a very special event because

49 it also was the 20th anniversary of the founding of the EMS. The professional and social activities that occurred during this week will provide a special memory for all those who attended. None

of the participants will be able to forget July 1989 in Cleveland! Frederick J. de Serres Chairman, 5th ICEM National Organizing Committee