These two volumes contain the papers presented at a North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO) Advanced Study Institute held on September
22-28, 1979 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. The conference was entitled "In
Vitro Toxicity Testing of Environmental Agents: Current and Future
Possibilities." This international conference presented an opportunity
for the participants to exchange informa- tion and ideas on the current
approaches (both scientific and po- litical) for toxic assessment of
environmental agents. The poten- tial health effects of these compounds
as well as future needs in the environmental research field were
discussed. The scientific content of the conference seminars included an
overview of the various cellular, subcellular, organ, animal, and
genetic systems which have been used to assess the health effects of
environmental agents. The scientific principles behind short- term
assays and an evaluation of their applicability to health effects
monitoring and analysis were investigated. Included among major topics
were: (1) the biochemistry and pharmacology of selected environmental
agents; (2) molecular mechanisms of car- cinogenesis, mutagenesis, and
transformation; (3) bacterial muta- genesis and toxicity; (4) mammalian
cell mutagenesis, toxicity, and transformation; (5) in vitro carcinogens
and mutagens; (6) teratogenic and other developmental toxic effects; and
(7) the development of short-term neuro-behavioral toxicity assays.