Environmental mutagenesis: past and future directions.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Environmental Mutagen Society, this article presents a personal reflection on the development of environmental mutagenesis as a unique scientific discipline. The events following the demonstration of chemical mutagenesis in the 1940s and leading to the formation of the Environmental Mutagen Society in 1969 are reviewed. Scientific progress and regulatory practices in the field of environmental mutagenesis during the twenty-five years since the founding of the Society are discussed, and speculation on the likely future of the field is presented.