Risk Assessment of Prenatally-Induced Adverse Health Effects

Since the thalidomide (Contergan) tragedy about 30 years agothe induction of prenatally-induced morphological orfunctional defects has been an area of extensive research. Risk assessment of prenatally-induced adverse health effectsis still a difficult task from both experimental data aswell asfrom observations in humans. In the contributions tothis book three major aspects are dealt with:- Quantitative extrapolations of experimental data to the situation possibly relevant for man. - The significance for a risk assessment with respect to man of minor or rare structural abnormalities observed in experimental studies- The future need to assess congenital dysfunctions (e.g. of the hormone or the immune system) beside the present evaulation of structural defects. Limitations as well as gaps of the present knowledge in thisarea of basic and applied research are pointed out. Sincethe results of prenatally-induced lesions may manifestthemselves not only pre- but often not before latepostnatally, numerous aspects of structural and functionalabnormaldevelopment must be studied in experimental andclinical investigations.