Prevention, ethics and science: lessons from Lorenzo Tomatis.
This paper is dedicated to Lorenzo Tomatis, former director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), promoter of prevention principles with a precautionary approach, supported by an important scientific foundation. He has recommended an appropriate consideration of both "false negatives" and "false positives" errors in the evaluation of epidemiological and experimental data on toxicological and carcinogenic risk. The current rules for IARC Monographs preparation include both a full transparency of the data used and of the possible conflicts of interest of the experts involved. Tomatis has also underlined that "Dismissing animal carcinogenicity findings would lead to human cases as the only means of demonstrating carcinogenicity of environmental agents. This is an unacceptable public health policy". The main role of experimental studies is presently included in both the new preamble of IARC Monographs and the method adopted for the World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelines for low-dose carcinogenic risk assessment.
Zapponi
Giovanni A
GA
Dipartimento Tecnologie e Salute, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy. giovanni.zapponi@iss.it
Marcello
Ida
I
Carere
Angelo
A
D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000941:ethics* / Q000266:history; D002274:Carcinogens, Environmental / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004782:Environmental Health / Q000941:ethics / Q000266:history; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007390:International Agencies / Q000266:history / Q000458:organization & administration; D007558:Italy; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011634:Public Health / Q000941:ethics* / Q000266:history; D014944:World Health Organization
D002274:Carcinogens, Environmental