Rochester Series on Environmental Toxicity – serie

This book is based on an international meeting organized by the University of Tokyo and the University of Rochester, and is published as one belonging to the series of Rochester International Conferences in Environmental Toxicity. The meeting on "Advances in Mercury Toxicology" was held at the University of Tokyo on August 1 to 3, 1990. The invited papers are published in this book along with an "Overview" chapter that was written by the editors at a meeting held at the University of Rochester on August 1 to 2, 1991. The purpose of the meeting was to assemble leading scientists to discuss their most recent findings on the toxicology of mercury. The time was opportune. Considerable progress has been made on the environmental fate and toxicology of mercury. Recent findings have given new insight into the global model for mercury. Transport in the atmosphere extends great distances resulting in pollution of lakes and rivers far distant from the source of mercury release. The process of methylation leads to accumulation of methylmercury in fish and thus in the human diet. New evidence indicates that acid rain and the impoundment of water for hydroelectric purposes affects the methylation and bioaccumulation processes resulting in higher levels of methylmercury in fish.

This document is the result of a conference on "Biological Monitoring of Metals" held in Rochester, June 2-6, 1986, organized jointly by the Environmental Health Sciences Center of the School of Medicine and Dentistry of the University of Rochester, NY, and the Scientific Committee on the Toxicology of Metals within the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) at the Karolinska Institute and the National (Swedish) Institute of Environmental Medicine and the University of Umea, Sweden. The aim of the Conference was to define and evaluate the scientific basis for the biological monitoring of metals. The conference was co-sponsored by the World Health Organization through its International Program on Chemical Safety and received substantial encouragement and support from the Swedish Work Environmental Fund and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. This was the second conference organized jointly by the Scientific Committee on the Toxicology of Metals and The Toxicology Division of the University of Rochester. The previous joint conference was held in 1982 on the Reproductive and Developmental Toxicity of Metals. In addition, conferences have been organized by each group (see Appendices A and B). Several of these conferences are specially relevant to the topic of the current conference. These include the joint conference mentioned above and the conferences on dose-effect and dose-response relationship held in Tokyo in 1974 and on accumulation of metals held in Buenos Aires in 1972.

This book is based on reviews and research presentations given at the 16th Rochester International Conference on Environmental Toxicity, entitled liThe Cytoskeleton: A Target for Toxic Agents," held on June 4, 5 and 6 in 1984. The conference provided an in-depth discussion of the effects a~d mechanism of action of some toxic agents on the cytoskeleton. Mamma"lian and other eukaryotic cells contain protein networks within the cytoplasm comprised of microfilaments, intermediate Hlaments and microtubules. These components of the cytoskeleton playa key role in cell shape, motility, intracellular organization and transport, and cell division. Furthermore, the cytoskeleton, via associations with the cell membrane, appears to function in intracellular communication and cellular responses to membrane events. Because of the complex functional roles of the cytoskeleton which vary with cell type, degree of differentiation, and cell cycle, its disruption may result in a variety of cellular changes. This expanding field in cell biology has already attracted the interest of toxicologists and environmental health scientists as a potentially fruitful area of research. Indeed, there is mounting evidence that certain toxic and chemotherapeutic compounds, as well as physical agents such as radiation and hydrostatic pressure, disrupt the normal structure and function of the cytoskeleton. This may be an important step in the overall expression of their action. It was, therefore, an opportune time to hold a conference to encourage the development of this area of toxicology and to suggest directions for future research.