Biological Markers in Environmental Epidemiology: Constraints and Opportunities
نویسندگان
چکیده
Biological markers (measurements made from biological media) are currently of great interest to epidemiologists in the field of environmental health. After placing markers within an historical and conceptual framework, this paper assesses the practical advantages and limitations of biological markers with respect to epidemiological methods and discusses criteria for the evaluation of markers. It ends by addressing the ethical and legal, as opposed to technical, constraints that such methods imply for future research. Carcinogenesis and mutagenesis have been the subjects of most previous discussions, but there are no conceptual barriers to the extension of biological marker techniques into non-genotoxic processes, and those are emphasised here. The overall purpose is to stimulate dialogue that will lead toward a common language regarding the definitions and boundaries of biological markers for use in environmental epidemiology.
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