Research on the mechanisms of action of aneugenic chemicals and regulatory approaches for their control in the European Communities.

The European Communities have developed a wide range of regulatory instruments for the control of chemical products sold and used within its geographical area. An important part of the testing requirements for most chemicals within the European Communities is the preparation of an information package on the potential mutogen properties of each chemical. Currently, no test requirements specify a unique test for aneugenic activity, although current methods such as in vitro cytogenetic and bone marrow micronucleus assays provide some useful indirect information on aneugenic activity. During the past 15 years the European Communities supported a series of collaborative research projects that have investigated the mechanisms by which chemicals induce aneuploidy and developmental studies of test methods for the detection of aneugenic chemicals. These projects led to the development of in vitro methods for the detection and quantification of induced nondisjunction and chromosome loss and the measurement of aneuploidy in rodent bone marrow. The European Communities projects have demonstrated the aneugenic potential of a diverse range of chemicals and their potential role in inherited disease and tumour induction. However, regulatory guidelines have yet to be modified to take advantage of the methods developed for the detection and evaluation of aneugenic chemicals.