Genetic hazard warning

Press, 30 August 1977, Page 3

Genetic hazard warning

NZPA Melbournei ! The effects of thalidomide | were visible to all, but mankind is facing much more in- ■ sidious forms of “genetic in--1 suit” from the ever-growing ■ proliferation of chemicals and ! radiation. New Zealand scientists have been told. The genetic hazards of radiation shou'd be placed alongside the hazards of a major nuclear accident, sabotage, | terrorism and war in evaluatI ing the nuclear future for the Pacific, a senior Australian biologist told the forty-eighth congress of the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of I Science, meeting in Mel-i bourne. [ American studies had [shown that radiation levels ; throughout the world were ■ increasing, said Dr Ken Dyer, senior lecturer .in social biology at the University of Adelaide. “And these increases necessarily mean increased incidences of genetic damage.” he said. Many chemicals being used; (today had never been tested,: and only a minute proportion i have been exhaustively tested, said Dr D. G. MacPhee, of the genetics and human variation department at Latrobe University, Victoria.

"It has become increasingly obvious that certain

chemicals have come to be widely distributed in our environment before their possible health effects on man and other animals have been fully understood,” he told the conference.

This was because of big gaps in the understanding of certain biological phenomena during most of the first half of the century. Because of such deficiencies, it had not been possible to prevent many accute and chronic diseases, including cancers occurring in both industrial workers and in the general public, said Dr MacPhee. One of the big problems facing scientists in this field was predicting genetic characteristics, and protecting future generations from genetic insult, he said. “With thalidomide babies it became obvious because of the malformation of their limbs, but other genetic changes are much more subtle and can affect such things as intelligence, behavioural patterns, and lifespan.” In the United States, about 80 people became sterile after working on a new pesticide, he said. “The only way they discovered that their work was to blame was when they discussed it among themselves.” Closer to home, he cited an example from work bcAng

done at Latrobe University into potential anti-arthritic drugs.

“Out of the 25 chemical structures we’ve looked at so far, 24 of them were found to be mutagenic (able to alter genetic patterns). i “Considerable research is j being directed towards de'veloping techniques which will allow more meaningful predictions to be made about the delayed effects of environmental chemicals,” said Dr MacPhee. “Of particular concern are inheritable genetic effects which, once introduced, may persist in the human gene pool — with extremely uni pleasant consequences for [future generations.” ■ Human beings were continually and unavoidably ex- ! posed to radiation from the environment — whether from natural sources, like medical and industrial X-rays, said Dr Dyer, in his paper. “Such radiation interacts with, and changes, many bioi logical molecules, and may [produce large or small gene changes." i “Exposure to radiation can never be undone. Once radiation is in the environment it stays until activity has decayed. “We should have more genetic data on human response to such radiation than we do at the moment before

exposing the human species to any systematic, long-term and basically irrevocable exposure to ionising radiation,” said Dr Dyer.

More people were being exposed to radiation, partly because of the increased population, and partly because of the spread of radiation from, for example, the increased number of nuclear plants throughout the world.

“I doubt that by themselves, genetic hazards are conclusive one way or the other, but they must take their place alongside the hazards of a major accident, sabotage, terrorism and war, inevitably associated with nuclear power and nuclear weapons,” he said