The 1989 International Conference on Nuclear Analytical Methods in theUfe Scienceswas a continuationofa seriesofconfer- encesheldbytheInternationalAtomicEnergyAgency. Thefirsttook placeinAmsterdamin 1967,thesecondin Bledin 1972,andthethird inViennain 1978. Theaimoftheseconferenceshasbeentostimulate discussions between scientists who are working as biologists, envi- ronmentalists, and physicians, and those who are working on the advancementofnuclear analytical techniques. The 1989 Conference was held at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, formerly the National Bureau of Standards)inGaithersburg,Maryland. ThefocalpointoftheConfer- ence was the presentation of results from multidisciplinary research involvingnuclear analytical techniques and their applications to the life sciences. Wehave obtained contributions from life sciencefields thatrelatethenuclear analyticalmethods to abroad scopeofbiologi- cal, medical,and environmental applications. Deliberately,our defi- nition of nuclear analytical techniques was made flexible. Methods and applications were treated in a more comprehensive way than thoseatestablished meetings.
Particularconsideration was given to contributions from developing countries. We are indebted to many people and organizations for their assistancein making this symposium possible. TheConference was organizedbytheUSDepartmentofCommerce'sNISTincooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, by supplying both financial support and scientific expertise. The meeting was cospon- soredbytheAmericanNuclearSociety,theUSDepartmentofEnergy, andtheFoodandDrugAdministration,whoprovidedbothorganiza- tional and financial support. We hope that the results of this Conference, presented here, will stimulatethe developmentofnew collaborativeresearch efforts betweenthe life sciencesand analytical fields. Acontinuationofthis series ofconferences willbe a measureofthe successofthis interdis- ciplinary collaboration.