Abstract |
Expectations are high that sister chromatid exchange analyses in lymphocytes removed from individuals in various occupational settings may serve as monitors of preventable hazardous chemical exposures in much the same way that chromosome aberration analyses have been useful for determining irradiation exposures. (SCE is only weakly responsive to ionizing radiations) The enormous complexity of monitoring chemical exposures has not been underestimated: problems such as diverse confounding exposures, chemical interactions, specific modes of action, and inherent weaknesses in lymphocyte cytogenetic tests(mentioned below) have been addressed. Nonetheless, SCE analyses, along with chromosome aberration tests, may well represent the most feasible and sensitive approaches to this end. |