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HAZARD IDENTIFICATION: EFFICIENCY OF SHORT-TERM TESTS IN IDENTIFYING GERM CELL MUTAGENS AND PUTATIVE NONGENOTOXIC CARCINOGENS
Citation:
Waters, M., H. Stack, M. Jackson, AND B. Bridges. HAZARD IDENTIFICATION: EFFICIENCY OF SHORT-TERM TESTS IN IDENTIFYING GERM CELL MUTAGENS AND PUTATIVE NONGENOTOXIC CARCINOGENS. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-94/208 (NTIS PB94163870), 1993.
Description:
For more than a decade, mutagenicity tests have had a clearly defined role in the identification of potential human mutagens and an ancillary role in the identification of potential human carcinogens. he efficiency of short-term tests in identifying germ cell mutagens has been examined using a combined databasederived from the EPA/IARC GAP and GENE-TOX computer programs. ur review of these data indicates adequate sensitivity of batteries of in vitro short-term mutagenicity tests in identifying germ cell mutagens. he analysis also supports the inclusion of an in vivo assay as suggested in proposed regulatory testing guidelines. n the context of carcinogenicity testing, the ability of short-term bioassays to detect genotoxic or mutagenic carcinogens is well established. uch tests are not viewed as sensitive to "nongenotoxic" or "nonmutagenic" carcinogens. nalyses presented in this report using the EPA/IARC GAP database, however, demonstrate that many putative nongenotoxic carcinogens that have been adequately tested in short-term genetic bioassays induce gene or chromosomal mutation or aneuploidy. urther investigation should reveal whether the reported evidence of mutagenicity plays an important role in carcinogenesis.