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Residue Reviews: Residues of Pesticides and Other Contaminants in the Total Environment
FdChem Toxte Vol 23, No 1, pp 119-120, 1985 Printed m Great Britain
0278-6915/85 $300 + 0 0 0 Pergamon Press Ltd
Review Section REVIEWS OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Biochemical Basis of Chemical Carcinogenesis. Edited by H Grelm, R. Jung, M. Kramer, H. Marquardt & F Oesch Raven Press, New York, 1984. pp. XWl. + 307. $68.50 The 13th Hoechst Workshop Conference on chemical carcinogenesis held at Gralnau on 6-9 October 1982 provided the source of material for this volume. Of the 26 chapters, of varying length, many contain new data while others summarize work being carried out in specific areas. The first chapters are concerned primarily with pathways of metabolism that may either lead to the activation of xenoblOtlCS or provide routes of detoxlficatlon. A wide range of enzyme systems is considered, including glutathione transferases, glucuronldatIon and sulphatlon, dlhydrodlol dehydrogenase and epoxlde hydratase, and authors have concentrated on the mechanisms whereby specific metabohtes may bind to DNA. These approaches are exemphfied in a chapter by H - G . Neumann on the metabolic activation of aflatoxm B1 and carcinogenic aromatic amines. After attempting to correlate gross D N A adducts with carclnogenlclty, Dr Neumann concludes that total DNA binding is not sufficient to predict the risk of tumour development. Subsequent chapters deal increasingly with human and non-human cultured cells as test systems for the study of the carcmogemc process, startmg with an interesting survey of the expression of xenoblotlc metabohzing enzymes in cultured cells by F.J. Wlebel et al. Considering cells from normal and tumour t~ssues and in vitro transformed cells, the authors rewew the actlvltles of several enzyme systems and then present a hypothes~s suggesting that certain enzymes, including glutath~one S-transferase, present in cell cultures are essentml for cell survival, while enzymes such as the cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase systems are not essential. Several chapters deal with aspects of DNA-adduct formation and repair processes It is apparent that not all DNA adducts lead directly to the carclnogemc lesion, although methylatlon of guanine to 0 6methylguanlne is lmphcated. It is also known that the methyl group can be removed and the base restored to normality. This alteration of D N A may be repaired by a saturable enzymic process, a question well discussed by A E Pegg with a reference to mtrosamme treatment. Furthermore H W. Thlelmann provides a survey of the enzymology of DNA repair in bacterial through to human cells. A few chapters are specifically addressed to carclnogenlcity in human cells. While &scusslng DNArepair processes in carcinogen-induced mutagenesls in human cells, V M Maher and J J. McCormick suggest that the ability to excise a D N A adduct influences the final biological outcome and that "bulky" adducts of chemical carcinogens may be FCT 23.1-H
subject to repair processes that are at least partially different from those in les~ons due to methylatlon or irradiation of D N A This volume contains considerable information and ideas on the mechanisms involved m chemical carcinogenesis. Arising from a symposium, the data are confined to specific areas, so that the text does not necessarily flow from one chapter to the next However, identification of the specific lesions of chemical carcinogenesis is crucial to an understandlng of the carclnogemc process and this book provides an mterestlng focus on work being undertaken in this area
Residue Reviews: Residues of Pesticides and Other Contaminants in the Total Environment. Vol. 90. E&ted by F A. Gunther. Sprlnger-Verlag, Berlin, 1983. pp. VUl + 124. DM 59.00 The appearance of the red cover denoting another decennial author and subject index marks a further milestone in this long-running series. The subject index, like its predecessors, is a lot more useful and usable than that of many publications and provides a helpful guide to the wide range of topics and compounds featured in these last ten issues. However, room is also found in this volume for three reviews, all with a strong toxicological flavour The first tackles the persistent problem of that persistent pesticide D D T The realization that it is some 40 years since the potential value of D D T - though not its snags--was first recognized is akm to finding that policemen are looking ever-younger. Here we have a careful and interesting review of those 40 years, a review directed particularly towards the question of D D T as a potential health risk to man. The picture that emerges is a predominantly favourable one, summed up in the conclusion that "the criticism alleging that D D T has had an alarming impact on the environment, including man, is completely unrealistic". Nevertheless it is recognized that "a substance with a persistence like that of D D T would never be developed and applied in plant protection today" Besides surveying clinical and epldemlologlcal studies on individuals and groups particularly exposed to DDT, this review considers the levels and possible significance of D D T residues in human mdk and reports experimental studies on carclnogenlclty, mutagenlcity, reproductive effects and teratogemclty. In addition, data are reproduced (mainly from W H O statistics) on the impact of D D T - - a n d of its subsequent withdrawal---on malaria control. The second review is on the behavloural responses of fish to sublethal concentrations of chemicals. This topic was aired in Residue Ret, tews not so long ago 119
120
Reviews of recent pubhcatlons--Fd Chem Toxic Vol. 23, No. 1
(Ctted in F.C T 1984, 22, 478), and a quick comparison of the reference lists alone suggests a considerable overlap m the fields covered by the two papers. However the two approach their main theme from somewhat different angles. The earlier contribution dealt in turn with several different groups of chemicals, comparing in each case the concentrations ellcltlng a preference or avoidance response with those ellCltlng other behavloural or physiological and biochemical responses and with acute and chronic toxicity data. The later paper, on the other hand, restricts its review of concentrations elicitlng certain forms of behaviour to a detailed table, concentrating in the text on a breakdown of findings mto five mutually exclusive categones of response Thus the two are to some extent complementary and together they underline the growing mterest in this type of study. The final contribution is a relatively brief but specific analysis of one (lmmunotoxlcologlcal) aspect of an important environmental contaminant Polychlormated blphenyls (PCBs) are c o m m o n and persistent environmental pollutants and have been associated with various changes in the ~mmune system. This review considers the effects of PCBs on both cell-mediated and humoral aspects of immunity, pointing out that while the usual host response to PCBs is a depression of one or the other aspect (or both), low levels of exposure have been found to stimulate the immune response.
Datensammlung zur Toxikologie der Herbizide: Lieferung 4. By a Deutsche Forschungsgemelnschaft Working Group. Verlag Chemle, Weinheim, 1983. pp 130 D M 16000.
Additional monographs have recently been publlshed to supplement this useful loose-leaf compilation of data relating to the toxicology of herbicides (Cited m F.C T. 1982, 20, 962). Produced by a toxicological working group of the Deutsche Forschungsgememschaft, this publication has now completed its first decade and continues to confirm its early promise. The supplement includes new monographs on buturon, chlortoluron, mtrofen, paraquat, 2,4,5-T and trlchloracetic a c i d - - a n inevitably long one on 2,4,5-T, with 272 references and a favourable assessment based on studies of materials containing no more than 0.05 mg T C D D / k g . In a d d m o n , the working group has prepared several monographs on substances that it felt unable to evaluate on the bas~s of the limited data avadable. This is a new development and the r e p o r t s - ~ n bromoxynd, loxynd, neburon and propyzamld---constltute Part 1 of the
appendices Following this are the usual lists of commercial formulations for each herbicide, giving tradenames and manufacturers and updated to include the subjects of the new monographs, and finally the manufacturers' addresses. Another new departure is the inclusion in this supplement of a detailed explanation of the basic methods used to determine the safety factors most appropriate for application to the various data available for an assessment of safety in man. Practical information of the methods used by the group to select the safety factors apphed m the published assessments includes examples of blank forms for summarizing the types and quality of data reviewed. Safety factors have always been a controversial topic and the rarity of any statements about the basis of their selection for particular assessments makes this addition to the monographs an interesting Innovation
BOOKS RECEIVED FOR REVIEW Environmental Health Criteria 29. 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid (2,4-D) Published under the joint sponsorship of UNEP, ILO and WHO, World Health Organization, Geneva, 1984. pp 151 Sw.fr 1400 (available m the UK through HMSO) Macrophage-mediated Antibody-dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity. Edited by H S Koren, Marcel Dekker, Inc, New York, 1983 pp xvn + 361 Sw fr 150.00 Chemical Toxicology and Clinical Chemistry of Metals E&ted by S S Brown & J Savory, Academic Press, Inc, London, 1983 pp. xlv + 416 £70 00 Nutritional Requirements and Contaminant Analysis of Laboratory Animal Feeds By B C. Pal, R H. Ross & H. A Mdman USEPA, Washington. pp xn + 101 Available from NTIS, Vlrgima, price codes A06 (prmted copy) and A01 (microfiche) IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of the Carcinogenic Risk of Chemicals to Humans. Vol. 33. Polynuclear Aromatic Compounds, Part 2, Carbon Blacks, Mineral Oils and Some Nitroarenes International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, 1984 pp 245 Swfr 5000 (avadable in the UK through HMSO) Recent Advances in Male Reproduction: Molecular Basis and Clinical Implications (Serono Symposia Publications Vol. 7). Edited by R D'Agata, M B. Llpsett, P. Polosa & H J. van der Molen Raven Press, New York, 1983 pp. xx + 330 $64 00 The Germ-free Animal in Biomedical Research Laboratory Animal Handbooks 9. E&ted by M E Coates & B E Gustafsson, Laboratory Animals Limited, Theydon Bols, Essex. 1984. pp IX + 442 £20 00 Toxic Hazards of Rubber Chemicals. By A R Nutt, Elsevier Apphed Science Pubhshers, Barking, Essex, 1984 pp. xi + 194 £2500 Residue Reviews. Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. Vol. 91. Edited by F A Gunther Sprmger-Verlag, Berhn, 1984 pp ix + 151 DM 6800
0278-6915/85 $300 + 0 0 0 Pergamon Press Ltd
Review Section REVIEWS OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Biochemical Basis of Chemical Carcinogenesis. Edited by H Grelm, R. Jung, M. Kramer, H. Marquardt & F Oesch Raven Press, New York, 1984. pp. XWl. + 307. $68.50 The 13th Hoechst Workshop Conference on chemical carcinogenesis held at Gralnau on 6-9 October 1982 provided the source of material for this volume. Of the 26 chapters, of varying length, many contain new data while others summarize work being carried out in specific areas. The first chapters are concerned primarily with pathways of metabolism that may either lead to the activation of xenoblOtlCS or provide routes of detoxlficatlon. A wide range of enzyme systems is considered, including glutathione transferases, glucuronldatIon and sulphatlon, dlhydrodlol dehydrogenase and epoxlde hydratase, and authors have concentrated on the mechanisms whereby specific metabohtes may bind to DNA. These approaches are exemphfied in a chapter by H - G . Neumann on the metabolic activation of aflatoxm B1 and carcinogenic aromatic amines. After attempting to correlate gross D N A adducts with carclnogenlclty, Dr Neumann concludes that total DNA binding is not sufficient to predict the risk of tumour development. Subsequent chapters deal increasingly with human and non-human cultured cells as test systems for the study of the carcmogemc process, startmg with an interesting survey of the expression of xenoblotlc metabohzing enzymes in cultured cells by F.J. Wlebel et al. Considering cells from normal and tumour t~ssues and in vitro transformed cells, the authors rewew the actlvltles of several enzyme systems and then present a hypothes~s suggesting that certain enzymes, including glutath~one S-transferase, present in cell cultures are essentml for cell survival, while enzymes such as the cytochrome P-450 monooxygenase systems are not essential. Several chapters deal with aspects of DNA-adduct formation and repair processes It is apparent that not all DNA adducts lead directly to the carclnogemc lesion, although methylatlon of guanine to 0 6methylguanlne is lmphcated. It is also known that the methyl group can be removed and the base restored to normality. This alteration of D N A may be repaired by a saturable enzymic process, a question well discussed by A E Pegg with a reference to mtrosamme treatment. Furthermore H W. Thlelmann provides a survey of the enzymology of DNA repair in bacterial through to human cells. A few chapters are specifically addressed to carclnogenlcity in human cells. While &scusslng DNArepair processes in carcinogen-induced mutagenesls in human cells, V M Maher and J J. McCormick suggest that the ability to excise a D N A adduct influences the final biological outcome and that "bulky" adducts of chemical carcinogens may be FCT 23.1-H
subject to repair processes that are at least partially different from those in les~ons due to methylatlon or irradiation of D N A This volume contains considerable information and ideas on the mechanisms involved m chemical carcinogenesis. Arising from a symposium, the data are confined to specific areas, so that the text does not necessarily flow from one chapter to the next However, identification of the specific lesions of chemical carcinogenesis is crucial to an understandlng of the carclnogemc process and this book provides an mterestlng focus on work being undertaken in this area
Residue Reviews: Residues of Pesticides and Other Contaminants in the Total Environment. Vol. 90. E&ted by F A. Gunther. Sprlnger-Verlag, Berlin, 1983. pp. VUl + 124. DM 59.00 The appearance of the red cover denoting another decennial author and subject index marks a further milestone in this long-running series. The subject index, like its predecessors, is a lot more useful and usable than that of many publications and provides a helpful guide to the wide range of topics and compounds featured in these last ten issues. However, room is also found in this volume for three reviews, all with a strong toxicological flavour The first tackles the persistent problem of that persistent pesticide D D T The realization that it is some 40 years since the potential value of D D T - though not its snags--was first recognized is akm to finding that policemen are looking ever-younger. Here we have a careful and interesting review of those 40 years, a review directed particularly towards the question of D D T as a potential health risk to man. The picture that emerges is a predominantly favourable one, summed up in the conclusion that "the criticism alleging that D D T has had an alarming impact on the environment, including man, is completely unrealistic". Nevertheless it is recognized that "a substance with a persistence like that of D D T would never be developed and applied in plant protection today" Besides surveying clinical and epldemlologlcal studies on individuals and groups particularly exposed to DDT, this review considers the levels and possible significance of D D T residues in human mdk and reports experimental studies on carclnogenlclty, mutagenlcity, reproductive effects and teratogemclty. In addition, data are reproduced (mainly from W H O statistics) on the impact of D D T - - a n d of its subsequent withdrawal---on malaria control. The second review is on the behavloural responses of fish to sublethal concentrations of chemicals. This topic was aired in Residue Ret, tews not so long ago 119
120
Reviews of recent pubhcatlons--Fd Chem Toxic Vol. 23, No. 1
(Ctted in F.C T 1984, 22, 478), and a quick comparison of the reference lists alone suggests a considerable overlap m the fields covered by the two papers. However the two approach their main theme from somewhat different angles. The earlier contribution dealt in turn with several different groups of chemicals, comparing in each case the concentrations ellcltlng a preference or avoidance response with those ellCltlng other behavloural or physiological and biochemical responses and with acute and chronic toxicity data. The later paper, on the other hand, restricts its review of concentrations elicitlng certain forms of behaviour to a detailed table, concentrating in the text on a breakdown of findings mto five mutually exclusive categones of response Thus the two are to some extent complementary and together they underline the growing mterest in this type of study. The final contribution is a relatively brief but specific analysis of one (lmmunotoxlcologlcal) aspect of an important environmental contaminant Polychlormated blphenyls (PCBs) are c o m m o n and persistent environmental pollutants and have been associated with various changes in the ~mmune system. This review considers the effects of PCBs on both cell-mediated and humoral aspects of immunity, pointing out that while the usual host response to PCBs is a depression of one or the other aspect (or both), low levels of exposure have been found to stimulate the immune response.
Datensammlung zur Toxikologie der Herbizide: Lieferung 4. By a Deutsche Forschungsgemelnschaft Working Group. Verlag Chemle, Weinheim, 1983. pp 130 D M 16000.
Additional monographs have recently been publlshed to supplement this useful loose-leaf compilation of data relating to the toxicology of herbicides (Cited m F.C T. 1982, 20, 962). Produced by a toxicological working group of the Deutsche Forschungsgememschaft, this publication has now completed its first decade and continues to confirm its early promise. The supplement includes new monographs on buturon, chlortoluron, mtrofen, paraquat, 2,4,5-T and trlchloracetic a c i d - - a n inevitably long one on 2,4,5-T, with 272 references and a favourable assessment based on studies of materials containing no more than 0.05 mg T C D D / k g . In a d d m o n , the working group has prepared several monographs on substances that it felt unable to evaluate on the bas~s of the limited data avadable. This is a new development and the r e p o r t s - ~ n bromoxynd, loxynd, neburon and propyzamld---constltute Part 1 of the
appendices Following this are the usual lists of commercial formulations for each herbicide, giving tradenames and manufacturers and updated to include the subjects of the new monographs, and finally the manufacturers' addresses. Another new departure is the inclusion in this supplement of a detailed explanation of the basic methods used to determine the safety factors most appropriate for application to the various data available for an assessment of safety in man. Practical information of the methods used by the group to select the safety factors apphed m the published assessments includes examples of blank forms for summarizing the types and quality of data reviewed. Safety factors have always been a controversial topic and the rarity of any statements about the basis of their selection for particular assessments makes this addition to the monographs an interesting Innovation
BOOKS RECEIVED FOR REVIEW Environmental Health Criteria 29. 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid (2,4-D) Published under the joint sponsorship of UNEP, ILO and WHO, World Health Organization, Geneva, 1984. pp 151 Sw.fr 1400 (available m the UK through HMSO) Macrophage-mediated Antibody-dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity. Edited by H S Koren, Marcel Dekker, Inc, New York, 1983 pp xvn + 361 Sw fr 150.00 Chemical Toxicology and Clinical Chemistry of Metals E&ted by S S Brown & J Savory, Academic Press, Inc, London, 1983 pp. xlv + 416 £70 00 Nutritional Requirements and Contaminant Analysis of Laboratory Animal Feeds By B C. Pal, R H. Ross & H. A Mdman USEPA, Washington. pp xn + 101 Available from NTIS, Vlrgima, price codes A06 (prmted copy) and A01 (microfiche) IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of the Carcinogenic Risk of Chemicals to Humans. Vol. 33. Polynuclear Aromatic Compounds, Part 2, Carbon Blacks, Mineral Oils and Some Nitroarenes International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, 1984 pp 245 Swfr 5000 (avadable in the UK through HMSO) Recent Advances in Male Reproduction: Molecular Basis and Clinical Implications (Serono Symposia Publications Vol. 7). Edited by R D'Agata, M B. Llpsett, P. Polosa & H J. van der Molen Raven Press, New York, 1983 pp. xx + 330 $64 00 The Germ-free Animal in Biomedical Research Laboratory Animal Handbooks 9. E&ted by M E Coates & B E Gustafsson, Laboratory Animals Limited, Theydon Bols, Essex. 1984. pp IX + 442 £20 00 Toxic Hazards of Rubber Chemicals. By A R Nutt, Elsevier Apphed Science Pubhshers, Barking, Essex, 1984 pp. xi + 194 £2500 Residue Reviews. Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. Vol. 91. Edited by F A Gunther Sprmger-Verlag, Berhn, 1984 pp ix + 151 DM 6800