Assessment of carcinogen exposure in man

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Abstract
The statistical evidence that much human cancer has an environ- mental aetiology has led to a search for causative agents. Whilst some human carcinogens have been identified, it is true to say that at the present time the major causative agents, other than cigarette smoke, are unknown. Analysis of environmental sam- ples for potential carcinogens using physico-chemical methods, particularly mass spectrometry, has reached a stage that concen- trations at the parts per trillion level can be detected. It requires a great leap of the imagination to link the sensitivity of environ- mental analytical detection methods with the doses of the same chemicals required to produce cancer in animals. A fundamental gap in knowledge exists between, on the one hand, measuring human exposure to carcinogens using such methods, and, on the other hand, determining whether or not such exposure is of bio- logical significance. In this short review I shall attempt to examine some methods that are currently available that might help close the gap between

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