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The foundation of the “international commission for protection against environmental mutagens and carcinogens”
311
Mutation Research, 46 (1977) 311--312 © Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press
Announcement THE F O U N D A T I O N OF THE " I N T E R N A T I O N A L COMMISSION F O R P R O T E C T I O N AGAINST E N V I R O N M E N T A L MUTAGENS AND CARCINOGENS"
The human environment is receiving an ever increasing variety of chemicals; many of them of great value. A significant proportion, however, have been found to exhibit mutagenic properties. Mutagens can adversely affect the genetic material without exhibiting other signs of visible damage to the cell or organism. Consequently, they might well escape the more traditional toxicological screening procedures or would never be considered for testing. Studies carried o u t during the past decade have identified mutagenic chemicals among food additives, pesticides, drugs, cosmetic and industrial compounds. These findings that there are mutagenic chemicals, in some cases with extensive human exposure, resulted in an explosive development of the field of chemical mutagenesis which has attained a new dimension as "environmental mutagenesis" or "genetic toxicology". Environmental Mutagen Societies specifically devoted to the study of these effects were founded all over the world, new journals covering this field were created and a data bank, the "Environmental Mutagen Information Center" (EMIC) was established. The genetic changes induced are of three different kinds: gene mutations, chromosome breaks, often resulting in chromosome aberrations, and changes in the number of chromosomes. These genetic changes have harmful effects in the descendants where they come to expression. Thus to protect the genetic e n d o w m e n t of future generations, exposure to mutagenic agents would be minimized or whenever possible avoided. Mutagenic effects deserve attention not only for reasons of protecting future generations, b u t also because of the need to avoid deleterious effects in the present, in view of the striking correlation between the carcinogenic and mutagenic potential of most chemicals. Recent results with a variety of genetic screening systems have convincingly demonstrated that the great majority of compounds capable of producing cancer are also effective in inducing genetic changes. A task of immediate concern thus becomes one of h o w such genetic and carcinogenic hazards can be minimized and h o w adequate protection of human populations can be achieved. The problems involved in attaining this objective have n o w reached such global dimensions that intensive collaboration on a world-wide scale has become a matter derserving highest priority. These considerations have led the International Association of Environmental Mutagen Societies to establish an International Commission for Protection Against Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens, henceforth abbreviated as
312 ICPEMC. The Commission will follow the pattern of the International Commission of Radiological Protection which has exerted such a profound influence on the safe-guards e~tablished for the exposure to ionizing irradiation. The intention of ICPEMC is to review the current body of knowledge in the field of environmental mutagenesis and carcinogenesis with the purpose of formulating recommendations that may serve as bases for regulatory actions. The Commission will also recognize deficiencies in existing knowledge and make recommendations for new avenues of research. ICPEMC was organized at a meeting held at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA on 16--19 January 1977. Six tasks of compelling importance were identified. (1) The development, validation, application and comparison of short-term screening systems for the identification and characterization of chemical mutagens and carcinogens. (2) The relation between carcinogenesis and mutagenesis. (3) The establishment of a registry of national regulatory principles and actions. (4) The formulation of general principles for developing risk estimates that may serve as a basis for setting maximum exposure limits. (5) A survey of epidemiology studies on those sections of the human population that are being exposed to mutagenic and carcinogenic agents. (6) A continuing reviewing of the state of our knowledge with regard to the levels of chronic and acute exposure to specific chemicals. ICPEMC intends to achieve a critical analysis of these various problem areas through expert subcommittees that will report to the main Commission. The Commission consists of: Drs. H.S. Bennett (USA), H. BShme (DDR), N.P. Bochkov (USSR), B.A. Bridges (UK), F.J. de Serres (USA), J. Drake (USA), N.P. Dubinin (USSR), J.D. Jansen (The Netherlands), A. Hollaender (USA), P.H.M. Lohman (The Netherlands), M. Marois (France), B. Matter (Switzerland), C. Ramel (Sweden), V. Ray (USA), P. Oftedal (Norway), F.H. Sobels (The Netherlands), R. Sram (Czechoslovakia), T. Sugimura (Japan), K. Sundaram (India), L. Tomatis (France), F. Vogel (F.R.G.). Drs. F.H. Sobels, F.J. de Serres, P.H.M. Lohman and B. Matter serving as Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer, respectively, for the first three years. The function of ICPEMC and its various sub-committees will be sponsored by the Institut de la Vie, whose Delegu~ G~n~ral, Professor M. Marois, will serve as Vice-Chairman for liaison. All correspondence and enquiries regarding ICPEMC should be directed to the secretary, Dr. P.H.M. Lohman, Medisch Biologisch Laboratorium TNO, Postbus 45, Rijswijk 2100, The Netherlands. F.H. Sobels Chairman
Mutation Research, 46 (1977) 311--312 © Elsevier/North-Holland Biomedical Press
Announcement THE F O U N D A T I O N OF THE " I N T E R N A T I O N A L COMMISSION F O R P R O T E C T I O N AGAINST E N V I R O N M E N T A L MUTAGENS AND CARCINOGENS"
The human environment is receiving an ever increasing variety of chemicals; many of them of great value. A significant proportion, however, have been found to exhibit mutagenic properties. Mutagens can adversely affect the genetic material without exhibiting other signs of visible damage to the cell or organism. Consequently, they might well escape the more traditional toxicological screening procedures or would never be considered for testing. Studies carried o u t during the past decade have identified mutagenic chemicals among food additives, pesticides, drugs, cosmetic and industrial compounds. These findings that there are mutagenic chemicals, in some cases with extensive human exposure, resulted in an explosive development of the field of chemical mutagenesis which has attained a new dimension as "environmental mutagenesis" or "genetic toxicology". Environmental Mutagen Societies specifically devoted to the study of these effects were founded all over the world, new journals covering this field were created and a data bank, the "Environmental Mutagen Information Center" (EMIC) was established. The genetic changes induced are of three different kinds: gene mutations, chromosome breaks, often resulting in chromosome aberrations, and changes in the number of chromosomes. These genetic changes have harmful effects in the descendants where they come to expression. Thus to protect the genetic e n d o w m e n t of future generations, exposure to mutagenic agents would be minimized or whenever possible avoided. Mutagenic effects deserve attention not only for reasons of protecting future generations, b u t also because of the need to avoid deleterious effects in the present, in view of the striking correlation between the carcinogenic and mutagenic potential of most chemicals. Recent results with a variety of genetic screening systems have convincingly demonstrated that the great majority of compounds capable of producing cancer are also effective in inducing genetic changes. A task of immediate concern thus becomes one of h o w such genetic and carcinogenic hazards can be minimized and h o w adequate protection of human populations can be achieved. The problems involved in attaining this objective have n o w reached such global dimensions that intensive collaboration on a world-wide scale has become a matter derserving highest priority. These considerations have led the International Association of Environmental Mutagen Societies to establish an International Commission for Protection Against Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens, henceforth abbreviated as
312 ICPEMC. The Commission will follow the pattern of the International Commission of Radiological Protection which has exerted such a profound influence on the safe-guards e~tablished for the exposure to ionizing irradiation. The intention of ICPEMC is to review the current body of knowledge in the field of environmental mutagenesis and carcinogenesis with the purpose of formulating recommendations that may serve as bases for regulatory actions. The Commission will also recognize deficiencies in existing knowledge and make recommendations for new avenues of research. ICPEMC was organized at a meeting held at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA on 16--19 January 1977. Six tasks of compelling importance were identified. (1) The development, validation, application and comparison of short-term screening systems for the identification and characterization of chemical mutagens and carcinogens. (2) The relation between carcinogenesis and mutagenesis. (3) The establishment of a registry of national regulatory principles and actions. (4) The formulation of general principles for developing risk estimates that may serve as a basis for setting maximum exposure limits. (5) A survey of epidemiology studies on those sections of the human population that are being exposed to mutagenic and carcinogenic agents. (6) A continuing reviewing of the state of our knowledge with regard to the levels of chronic and acute exposure to specific chemicals. ICPEMC intends to achieve a critical analysis of these various problem areas through expert subcommittees that will report to the main Commission. The Commission consists of: Drs. H.S. Bennett (USA), H. BShme (DDR), N.P. Bochkov (USSR), B.A. Bridges (UK), F.J. de Serres (USA), J. Drake (USA), N.P. Dubinin (USSR), J.D. Jansen (The Netherlands), A. Hollaender (USA), P.H.M. Lohman (The Netherlands), M. Marois (France), B. Matter (Switzerland), C. Ramel (Sweden), V. Ray (USA), P. Oftedal (Norway), F.H. Sobels (The Netherlands), R. Sram (Czechoslovakia), T. Sugimura (Japan), K. Sundaram (India), L. Tomatis (France), F. Vogel (F.R.G.). Drs. F.H. Sobels, F.J. de Serres, P.H.M. Lohman and B. Matter serving as Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer, respectively, for the first three years. The function of ICPEMC and its various sub-committees will be sponsored by the Institut de la Vie, whose Delegu~ G~n~ral, Professor M. Marois, will serve as Vice-Chairman for liaison. All correspondence and enquiries regarding ICPEMC should be directed to the secretary, Dr. P.H.M. Lohman, Medisch Biologisch Laboratorium TNO, Postbus 45, Rijswijk 2100, The Netherlands. F.H. Sobels Chairman