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Environmental Carcinogens—Selected methods of analysis. Vol. 7. Some volatile halogenated hydrocarbons
Fd Chem. Toxic. Vol. 24, No. 5, pp. 433~t36, 1986
0278-6915/86 $3.00+0.00 Pergamon Journals Ltd
Printed in Great Britain
Review Section REVIEWS OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS Environmental Carcinogens---Selected Methods of Analysis. Vol. 7. Some Volatile Halogenated Hydrocarbons. Edited by L. Fishbein & I. K. O'Neill. IARC Scient. Publ. no. 68. International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, 1985. pp. xxvii + 479. £20.00 (available through Oxford University Press). ISBN 92-832-1168-5. The prodigious output of publications from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) continues unabated. From modest beginnings--a single slim volume published in 1971 on liver cancer--the Scientific Publications Series has progressed to at least six weighty tomes published in 1985. No doubt the instantly recognizable IARC camera-ready style contributes to this rapid rate of output, but what it lacks in visual appeal is more than made up for in the exceptionally reasonable price for a hard-back volume of this size. This particular volume extends a series that has so far covered nitrosamines, some mycotoxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aromatic amines, azo dyes and vinyl chloride. It deals with most of the commercially important one-, two- and three-carbon halogenated alkanes and alkenes (excluding vinyl chloride) as well as three oxygenated derivatives: bis(chloromethyl)ether, chloromethyl methyl ether and epichlorohydrin. As with the other books in the series, part one gives an overview of the problems associated with the compounds (biological effects, environmental occurrence and strategies for analysis) and part two details the specific analytical methods. The biological effects reviewed are human epidemiology (by O. Axelson) and mechanisms of genotoxicity (by D. Henschler). The potential for exposure to these compounds is put in context by Dr Fishbein, who has contributed a chapter on the production, uses and extent of environmental contamination, while the specific contamination of drinking-water is discussed by D. T. Williams. An overview of sampling strategies for homes, offices and factories includes useful appendices listing the manufacturers of direct-reading instruments, personal sampling pumps and passive monitoring devices. The methods listed in the second part include those for determination in air (12 procedures using a variety of air sampling tubes followed by gaschromatography or G C - M S ) or water (volatile and extractable organic-bound halogen and static or dynamic head-space analysis) and fumigant residue analysis in food. In addition, methods are given for the analysis of these compounds, and in some cases their metabolites (e.g. trichloracetic acid) in breath, blood, tissues and urine.
As in all IARC publications, the organization of the material is difficult to fault. The 24 compounds covered by this volume are identified at an early stage, along with their CAS number, common name, evidence for carcinogenicity (as reviewed by IARC) and a summary of the recommended analytical methods. The methods are set out in consistent format (ISO Guide 78) that includes references, hazard warnings, reagents, apparatus, methods of calculation, flow diagrams etc. If criticism is to be made, one might point to the lack of a subject index, which could impede the rapid collation of information on individual compounds. However, as most methods are compound-specific and the number of compounds considered is relatively small, this is not a serious drawback. All in all, this is a thorough and useful manual for those involved in monitoring and assessing volatile halohydrocarbon exposure. In the introduction, Dr Fishbein notes that the methods considered are extremely sophisticated, and that in future volumes attempts will be made to include simple, low-cost methods for use in developing countries. The complexity of the problem means that simple methods will not be easily found, but one hopes that this volume may stimulate the required development effort.
Coffee: Botany, Biochemistry and Production of Beans and Beverage. Edited by M. N. Clifford & K. C. Willson, Croom Helm, London, 1985. pp. 457. £35.00. ISBN 0-7099-0787-7. Coffee bibliophiles have been doing quite well of late. Within the past year there has been a volume in the "Progress in Clinical and Biological Research" series that was dominated by caffeine and coffee (Cited in F.C.T. 1985, 23, 949), and a Banbury Report (number 17) recording happenings at a rather disappointing 1983 conference on coffee and health. The present volume, with its emphasis closer to the soil, must be meeting a well-primed audience. The book attempts to provide a comprehensive guide from bush to cup. The distinctly horticultural angle will no doubt be welcomed by those actively involved in the struggle to get this demanding (and presently expensive) cash crop to grow and thrive. The post-cup picture--the physiological and toxicological effects of coffee consumption--have been awarded only a single chapter, written by Karl Battig from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zfirich. Perhaps not wishing to rock such a comfortable boat, Dr Battig has heavily slanted his contribution towards what would normally be thought of as the benefits of the beverage--its physio433
0278-6915/86 $3.00+0.00 Pergamon Journals Ltd
Printed in Great Britain
Review Section REVIEWS OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS Environmental Carcinogens---Selected Methods of Analysis. Vol. 7. Some Volatile Halogenated Hydrocarbons. Edited by L. Fishbein & I. K. O'Neill. IARC Scient. Publ. no. 68. International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, 1985. pp. xxvii + 479. £20.00 (available through Oxford University Press). ISBN 92-832-1168-5. The prodigious output of publications from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) continues unabated. From modest beginnings--a single slim volume published in 1971 on liver cancer--the Scientific Publications Series has progressed to at least six weighty tomes published in 1985. No doubt the instantly recognizable IARC camera-ready style contributes to this rapid rate of output, but what it lacks in visual appeal is more than made up for in the exceptionally reasonable price for a hard-back volume of this size. This particular volume extends a series that has so far covered nitrosamines, some mycotoxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aromatic amines, azo dyes and vinyl chloride. It deals with most of the commercially important one-, two- and three-carbon halogenated alkanes and alkenes (excluding vinyl chloride) as well as three oxygenated derivatives: bis(chloromethyl)ether, chloromethyl methyl ether and epichlorohydrin. As with the other books in the series, part one gives an overview of the problems associated with the compounds (biological effects, environmental occurrence and strategies for analysis) and part two details the specific analytical methods. The biological effects reviewed are human epidemiology (by O. Axelson) and mechanisms of genotoxicity (by D. Henschler). The potential for exposure to these compounds is put in context by Dr Fishbein, who has contributed a chapter on the production, uses and extent of environmental contamination, while the specific contamination of drinking-water is discussed by D. T. Williams. An overview of sampling strategies for homes, offices and factories includes useful appendices listing the manufacturers of direct-reading instruments, personal sampling pumps and passive monitoring devices. The methods listed in the second part include those for determination in air (12 procedures using a variety of air sampling tubes followed by gaschromatography or G C - M S ) or water (volatile and extractable organic-bound halogen and static or dynamic head-space analysis) and fumigant residue analysis in food. In addition, methods are given for the analysis of these compounds, and in some cases their metabolites (e.g. trichloracetic acid) in breath, blood, tissues and urine.
As in all IARC publications, the organization of the material is difficult to fault. The 24 compounds covered by this volume are identified at an early stage, along with their CAS number, common name, evidence for carcinogenicity (as reviewed by IARC) and a summary of the recommended analytical methods. The methods are set out in consistent format (ISO Guide 78) that includes references, hazard warnings, reagents, apparatus, methods of calculation, flow diagrams etc. If criticism is to be made, one might point to the lack of a subject index, which could impede the rapid collation of information on individual compounds. However, as most methods are compound-specific and the number of compounds considered is relatively small, this is not a serious drawback. All in all, this is a thorough and useful manual for those involved in monitoring and assessing volatile halohydrocarbon exposure. In the introduction, Dr Fishbein notes that the methods considered are extremely sophisticated, and that in future volumes attempts will be made to include simple, low-cost methods for use in developing countries. The complexity of the problem means that simple methods will not be easily found, but one hopes that this volume may stimulate the required development effort.
Coffee: Botany, Biochemistry and Production of Beans and Beverage. Edited by M. N. Clifford & K. C. Willson, Croom Helm, London, 1985. pp. 457. £35.00. ISBN 0-7099-0787-7. Coffee bibliophiles have been doing quite well of late. Within the past year there has been a volume in the "Progress in Clinical and Biological Research" series that was dominated by caffeine and coffee (Cited in F.C.T. 1985, 23, 949), and a Banbury Report (number 17) recording happenings at a rather disappointing 1983 conference on coffee and health. The present volume, with its emphasis closer to the soil, must be meeting a well-primed audience. The book attempts to provide a comprehensive guide from bush to cup. The distinctly horticultural angle will no doubt be welcomed by those actively involved in the struggle to get this demanding (and presently expensive) cash crop to grow and thrive. The post-cup picture--the physiological and toxicological effects of coffee consumption--have been awarded only a single chapter, written by Karl Battig from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zfirich. Perhaps not wishing to rock such a comfortable boat, Dr Battig has heavily slanted his contribution towards what would normally be thought of as the benefits of the beverage--its physio433