Monitoring human populations for effects of radiation and chemical exposures using cytogenetic techniques

Exposure to hazardous agents in our environment can cause a variety of health effects. Some of them are expressed immediately and others take years to develop. The latter type of abnormalities are of major concern, because due to the late expression of health problems, many people would have been affected before the exposure problem can be identified and brought under control. In this article the usefulness of cytogenetic assays in monitoring human populations for the effects from exposure to radiation and chemicals is briefly reviewed. The existence of confounding variables and unusual biological effects that may be unique to responses from exposure to low concentrations of hazardous agents is emphasized. Also, the use of standardized protocols and reliable experimental designs is discussed.