Since the thalidomide (Contergan) tragedy about 30 years ago
the induction of prenatally-induced morphological or
functional defects has been an area of extensive research.
Risk assessment of prenatally-induced adverse health effects
is still a difficult task from both experimental data as
well asfrom observations in humans. In the contributions to
this 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 this
area of basic and applied research are pointed out. Since
the results of prenatally-induced lesions may manifest
themselves not only pre- but often not before late
postnatally, numerous aspects of structural and functional
abnormaldevelopment must be studied in experimental and
clinical investigations.