Pathology: studies of chronic toxicity and carcinogenicity

Safety evaluation of chemicals in use or destined for use by humans is a complex endeavor which requires accurate analytical chemical results, extensive animal studies, and thoughtful interpretation of the data. Especially difficult are attempts to extrapolate the animal data to man. The analytical chemist can base many of his conclusions on data concerning quantity; the toxicologist cannot. The analytical chemist works very hard for an answer, but when he gets it, his task is usually completed. When the toxicologist gets an answer from a given experiment, his problems have just started; he must attempt to interpret the data and, even more difficult, to extrapolate the results of animal data to man. Thus, accurate analysis of chemicals and trace substances in biological tissues form the foundation of the work of the toxicologist. A closer association between analytical chemists and toxicologists should prove beneficial to both and to the progress of science.