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IN SITU MONITORING OF ENVIRONMENTAL GENOTOXINS
Citation:
Sandhu, S. AND W. Lower. IN SITU MONITORING OF ENVIRONMENTAL GENOTOXINS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/D-87/068 (NTIS PB87167045).
Description:
Potential health hazard of a test site can be assessed by (1) epidemiological survey of the indigenous populations, (2) in situ monitoring by introducing test organisms into the environment, and (3) bringing environmental samples from the test site into the laboratory and performing chemical and/or biological analysis for specific end-points of interest. In situ monitoring is the earliest form of environmental assessment practiced by man. Biological effects observed under natural environments are the product of interaction between complex chemical mixtures and physical agents. A variety of organisms have been employed for evaluating the utility of aquatic organisms for monitoring the toxic levels of chemical pollutants in the coastal areas, lakes, and rivers. It is only recently that mammaliam species such as meadow vole, house mice, and feral rodents have been used as indicator organisms for assessing the genotoxic (especially cytogenic) effects from chronic exposure at a particular test site.