Abelson P H
American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, DC 20005.
Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 1993 Apr;17(2 Pt 1):219-23. doi: 10.1006/rtph.1993.1019.
In the United States the hazards posed by chemicals are often enormously exaggerated. In "calculating" risks of human cancer and establishing regulations, the United States Environmental Protection Agency makes a series of "conservative" assumptions that have no sound scientific basis. In consequence, trillions of dollars could be wasted. Exaggerations of risks are inherent in the procedures by which rodents are employed as stand-ins for humans. Dependence on results of maximum tolerated doses in the most sensitive strain or species of rodent is questionable. Important examples involve B6C3F1 mice, which in contrast to humans in developed countries, have a high control incidence of liver cancer. Those mice often respond with liver tumors when exposed to large doses of a substance. Other rodents are less often affected. Questionable assessments involving liver cancer in B6C3F1 mice include the risks posed by trichloroethylene, perchloroethylene, methylene chloride, butadiene, and phenobarbital. Spurious assessments for humans have also been noted when the male rat was the most sensitive animal. A unique mechanism in them gives rise to kidney tumors while female rats and male and female mice are not affected.
在美国，化学品所带来的危害常常被极大地夸大了。在“计算”人类患癌风险并制定相关法规时，美国环境保护局做出了一系列毫无科学依据的“保守”假设。结果，可能会浪费数万亿美元。风险夸大存在于将啮齿动物作为人类替身的程序之中。依赖最敏感品系或物种的啮齿动物的最大耐受剂量结果是值得怀疑的。重要的例子涉及B6C3F1小鼠，与发达国家的人类相比，它们患肝癌的自发发生率很高。当接触大剂量某种物质时，那些小鼠常常会出现肝脏肿瘤。其他啮齿动物则较少受到影响。涉及B6C3F1小鼠肝癌的可疑评估包括三氯乙烯、全氯乙烯、二氯甲烷、丁二烯和苯巴比妥所带来的风险。当雄性大鼠是最敏感动物时，也发现了对人类的虚假评估。它们体内一种独特的机制会引发肾肿瘤，而雌性大鼠以及雄性和雌性小鼠则不会受到影响。
