Scientific Concepts, Value, and Significance of Chemical Carcinogenesis Studies

Synthetic chemicals and those naturally occurring chemicals that have be­ come 'man-made' via chemical synthesis and high volume production have only relatively recently been introduced into our way of life, and now have become essential for our adopted and evolved lifestyle. With the growing avalanche of chemicals comes the necessity for more public health prudence to minimize human exposures from these chemicals (derivatives, metabolites, and reaction products) and their myriad formulations during synthesis, man­ ufacture, mixing, packaging, transport, use, and disposal. Toxicologic char­ acterization of chemicals, mixtures of chemicals, and consumer products is essential for deciding policy to best protect public health while retaining the benefits we have come to expect. The profile of biological activities and toxicological effects of these agents or substances can be accomplished by using an array of in vitro and in vivo assays. These experiments are conducted