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Title: Role of drosophila in chemical mutagenesis testing

Conference ·
OSTI ID:5133960

An important question facing our society is the impact of numerous chemical insults on the health of man and his environment. Faced with a staggering array of chemicals and enormous testing costs, only a few chemicals can be tested for possible carcinogenic effects. Recent results with the Salmonella/mammalian microsome mutagenesis bioassay system demonstrate a striking correlation between carcinogenicity and mutagenicity of many chemical compounds and offer the possibility that mutagenesis assay systems can provide a quick identification of potential carcinogens. Results from microbial assays can serve as a guideline for further mutagenesis testing as well as identify those compounds requiring more extensive analysis in mammalian systems. Reliance on the results from a single mutagenic assay system is rather risky. It would be preferable to use a battery of tests (the tier approach) which would include the rapid microbial assays as well as mammalian systems. Also the use of Drosophila as a bridge between the microbial and mammalian assays has many desirable features which are discussed.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab., Tenn. (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-26
OSTI ID:
5133960
Report Number(s):
CONF-780227-1
Resource Relation:
Conference: Symposium on application of short-term bioassays in the fractionation and analysis of complex environmental mixtures, Williamsburg, VA, USA, 21 Feb 1978
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English