[Comparative pathology in risk assessment]

Comparative pathological studies are carried out in drug research using disease models and indicator systems in order to assess the effectiveness and the tolerance of test substances. Basis of these experiments in risk assessment is the exposure of humans in the environment, in occupation or as patients. According to the problem, the evaluation of the studies is done using qualitative morphological and/or quantitative morphometric methods. The assessment of the results obtained in experimental studies has to be done from the point of view to extrapolate from animals to humans. In this context, the problem of animals experimentation is pointed out. Finally, aspects of risk minimization and risk acceptance are discussed briefly.