A REPRODUCTIVE HAZARDS RESEARCH AGENDA FOR THE 1990S

There is substantial scientific and public concern about the potential effects of occupational and environmental toxicants on reproductive h ealth. These effects include impaired functioning of the reproductive systems of men and women as well as a broad spectrum of developmental problems expressed in offspring. Research on reproduction and developm ent is among the most complex undertakings in biomedical research. Thi s complexity is due in part to the intricate biology of reproduction, the multiple targets involved (male, female, and offspring), the uncer tainties in extrapolating from animal models to humans, and the proble ms involved in accurately characterizing exposures and outcomes in epi demiologic investigations. However, given the relatively brief history of research into toxicant-induced reproductive health effects, we hav e made enormous strides in our knowledge over the past decade. In part icular, recent advances in reproductive biology and biotechnology and in the development of biological markers of exposure, effect, and susc eptibility are greatly enhancing our ability to study cause-effect rel ationships. In this paper, the Research Needs Working Group proposes w ays to apply existing knowledge to better protect reproductive health and suggests directions for future research. Fulfilling this challengi ng agenda will require responsible cooperation by labor, industry, gov ernment, individual citizens, and the scientific community. Further re search and collaboration are essential to both prevent adverse reprodu ctive and developmental outcomes and to formulate a sound scientific b asis for policy making.