Principles for evaluating chemical effects on the aged population /
| Corporate Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Geneva, CH :
WHO,
1993
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| Series: | Enviromental Health Criteria ;
no. 144 |
| Subjects: |
Table of Contents:
- A detailed review of research findings and methodological concepts that can guide efforts to characterize the susceptibility of the aged population to the harmful effects of environmental chemicals. Noting that few, if any, of the hundreds of thousands of environmental chemicals have been tested for increased toxicity in the elderly, the book uses knowledge from the fields of gerontology and toxicology to propose methodological principles for investigating the elderly as a population at special risk. Particular attention is given to methods for determining chronic effects, including cancer, linked to the long-term exposures that may characterize this age group. The book has four main chapters. The first introduces and discusses the many complex factors that complicate efforts to link chemical exposure to adverse effects on the health of the elderly. Chapter two provides a detailed review of age-related changes at the genetic, molecular and cellular level, and in individual tissues, organs and systems. Emphasis is placed on age-related changes in structure which might alter functional responses to environmental insults, including chemicals. The third chapter explores age-related changes in chemical sensitivity as reflected in altered pharmacokinetics and changes in the pharmacodynamics of the central nervous system, endocrine system, kidney, immune system, and other systems and tissues. Theories for explaining the interactions of chemicals and diseases in the aging organism are also reviewed, together with the influence of modifying factors, such as nutrition, alcohol intake, and smoking. The fourth chapter describes the special methodological requirements of studies in the aged population. Guidelines cover experimental, epidemiological, and clinical approaches, and the development of biomarkers of aging.