General Aspects of Monitoring and Banking of Human Biological Specimens

Abstract

Ever since the industrial revolution, man has been subjecting the earth’s biosphere to an increasing variety of chemical insults. Some, such as naturally-occurring toxic elements and compounds, are reentering the environment via industrial processes at rates much greater than their natural degradation or removal from the biosphere; other hazardous pollutants are being synthesized that have molecular structures never before encountered by living organisms. During the last decade, however, increasing attention has been focused on the occurrence and effects of pollutants in the environment. Refinements in analytical techniques have resulted in the discovery that many substances are geographically more widely distributed than previously assumed. Serious accidents with exposure to and accumulation of toxic materials have lead to a public demand for more effective governmental control.