Atkinson M A, Dodson R F
Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Health Center at Tyler 75708-3154, USA.
Tex Med. 1999 Oct;95(10):49-53.
Research plays a crucial central role between physicians and regulatory agencies in assessing the potential risks posed by an ever-increasing variety of environmental pollutants. The explosion in our understanding of biology and the development of the powerful tools of molecular biology during the last 50 years have provided us with a unique opportunity to apply this knowledge to predict the dangers of these pollutants and to act to protect the public where appropriate. To realize this vision requires multidisciplinary cooperation, continued research funding, and improved scientific literacy among the public. In this article, we do not attempt to review all the literature relating the role that research has played in environmental health and science, but rather we hope to provide the reader with a broad overview of the role that research has played in the past, emphasizing our own area of expertise (the respiratory system) and the role that research should play as our increasingly complex society moves into the 21st century.
在评估日益增多的各种环境污染物所构成的潜在风险方面，研究在医生与监管机构之间发挥着至关重要的核心作用。在过去50年里，我们对生物学的理解取得了巨大飞跃，分子生物学的强大工具也得以发展，这为我们提供了一个独特的机会，能够运用这些知识来预测这些污染物的危害，并在适当的时候采取行动保护公众。要实现这一愿景，需要多学科合作、持续的研究资金投入以及提高公众的科学素养。在本文中，我们并不试图回顾所有关于研究在环境卫生与科学中所起作用的文献，而是希望为读者提供一个关于研究在过去所起作用的广泛概述，着重介绍我们自己的专业领域（呼吸系统）以及随着我们日益复杂的社会步入21世纪研究应发挥的作用。
