摘要:Because genetically based diseases have a major impact on human health, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has conducted a research and testing program for more than a decade to address chemical induction of heritable genetic damage in the germ cells of mammals. Although most genetic disease results from preexisting mutations, a portion is due to the occurrence of new mutations. The supposition that exposure to mutagenic chemicals contributes to the occurrence of new mutations in the human population is strongly supported by the results from animal models. Such studies clearly demonstrate the potential of environmental chemicals to induce mutations in both somatic and reproductive cells of mammals. This NIEHS program has become a leader in the identification of genetic hazards in the environment and in the acquisition of animal model data used by regulatory agencies in assessing genetic risks to human health. Full text Full text is available as a scanned copy of the original print version. Get a printable copy (PDF file) of the complete article (1.7M), or click on a page image below to browse page by page. Links to PubMed are also available for Selected References . 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291