Environmental genotoxicity: probing the underlying mechanisms.

Environmental pollution is a complex issue because of the diversity of anthropogenic agents, both chemical and physical, that have been detected and catalogued. The consequences to biota from exposure to genotoxic agents present an additional problem because of the potential for these agents to produce adverse change at the cellular and organismal levels. Past studies in genetic toxicology at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory have focused on structural damage to the DNA of environmental species that may occur after exposure to genotoxic agents and the use of this information to document exposure and to monitor remediation. In an effort to predict effects at the population, community, and ecosystem levels, current studies in genetic ecotoxicology are attempting to characterize the biologic mechanisms at the gene level that regulate and limit the response of an individual organism to genotoxic factors in their environment.