DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN HEARINGS BEFORE A SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND ROBERT J. MRAZEK, New York MICHAEL A. STEPHENS, ROBERT L. KNISELY, SUSAN E. QUANTIUS, MARK J. MIODUSKI, Disorders....... 1747 National Library of Medicine National Center for Human Genome Research National Institute of General Medical Sciences .. in Health Sciences National Institute of Dental Research ............ Office of the Director 43-264 O Printed for the use of the Committee on Appropriations U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1835 1925 John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study 2037 2105 2205 2281 COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS JAMIE L. WHITTEN, Mississippi, Chairman WILLIAM H. NATCHER, Kentucky, Vice Chairman NEAL SMITH, Iowa SIDNEY R. YATES, Illinois EDWARD R. ROYBAL, California W. G. (BILL) HEFNER, North Carolina LES AUCOIN, Oregon WILLIAM H. GRAY III, Pennsylvania ROBERT J. MRAZEK, New York RICHARD J. DURBIN, Illinois RONALD D. COLEMAN, Texas ALAN B. MOLLOHAN, West Virginia LINDSAY THOMAS, Georgia CHESTER G. ATKINS, Massachusetts JIM CHAPMAN, Texas MARCY KAPTUR, Ohio JOSEPH M. McDADE, Pennsylvania JIM KOLBE, Arizona DEAN A. GALLO, New Jersey BARBARA F. VUCANOVICH, Nevada JIM LIGHTFOOT, Iowa LAWRENCE J. SMITH, Florida DAVID E. SKAGGS, Colorado DAVID E. PRICE, North Carolina NANCY PELOSI, California FREDERICK G. MOHRMAN, Clerk and Staff Director NOTE.-The Honorable Silvio O. Conte was Ranking Minority Member of the Committee until his death on February 8, 1991. (II) For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR 1992 TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 1991. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES WITNESSES DR. DAVID HOEL, ACTING DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES DR. RICHARD GRIESEMER, DIRECTOR, TOXICOLOGY, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES DR. WILLIAM F. RAUB, ACTING DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH CHARLES LEASURE, EXECUTIVE OFFICER, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EN VIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES ROBERT PATRICK, BUDGET OFFICER, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES WILLIAM R. BELDON, DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF PUBLIC HEALTH SOCIAL SERVICE BUDGET ANALYSES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Mr. NATCHER. At this time, we take up the budget request for the fiscal year 1992 for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. We have before the Committee at this time Dr. Hoel. Dr. Hoel, before you give us your statement, tell us who you have with you at the table. INTRODUCTION OF WITNESSES Dr. HOEL. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is a pleasure to be here. I would mention that we have Mr. Bob Patrick, our Budget Officer; Mr. Charles Leasure, who is our Executive Officer, and Dr. Richard Griesemer, who is head of our Toxicology Program. OPENING REMARKS Mr. NATCHER. We are delighted to have all of you before the committee. Dr. HOEL. Thank you. As I begin, I would like to acknowledge the contributions of Dr. David Rall, who retired last fall after 20 years as the Director of NIEHS. During his tenure, Dr. Rall built both the Institute and the National Toxicology Program into benchmarks for quality of environmental public health research, for which everyone in the environmental health area is indebted. Today, I would like to briefly describe several major areas of current interest among the many research areas that NIEHS supports. NIEHS has been a leader in research on metal toxicity and in understanding the human health aspects of these toxicants. (1247) LEAD Federal, State and local governmental agencies are now pursuing testing programs for childhood lead poisoning and lead abatement programs designed to protect current and future generations from the physical and intellectual impairments caused by lead. These efforts are driven in large measure by research findings from NIEHS grantees. For example, Dr. Needleman of the University of Pittsburgh is looking further at the possibly permanent effects of low-level early life lead exposure on later intellectual and psychobehavioral functions. Dr. Needleman's work has already demonstrated long-term persistence, past high school age, of some of the neuropsychological effects of early life lead exposure. At Columbia University in New York City, NIEHS is supporting clinical studies to find better and safer drugs to treat lead-poisoned children. We are also quite concerned about lead transfer from the mother to the fetus, and whether the lead in the fetus comes from deposits in the mother's bones, or her diet, or other sources. We are developing that work through research contracts at two universities. MERCURY Questions have been raised about the "silver" fillings in teeth and their mercury content. This is basically a question about lowlevel exposures to mercury. The recent interim report of a PHS committee noted that more research is needed before a final judgment can be made. In the meantime, the report recommends no change in the current use of dental amalgams. NIEHS-supported and long-continuing research at places like Rochester and by people like Dr. Tom Clarkson provides the foundation to answer the questions about what is happening with the mercury in tooth fillings, how it goes from these fillings to other sites in the body, and what this migration may mean for health. MANGANESE We already know that high exposures to manganese are extremely toxic, but new questions about manganese and human health are being raised now that a manganese compound has been proposed as a gasoline octane booster in this country. NIEHS and EPA cosponsored a conference March 12 this year on the health effects of manganese. At that conference, scientists from government, universities, industry, and public interest groups were asked to identify information gaps on the health effects of manganese compounds. From these discussions, EPA will determine whether additional studies are needed before manganese is added to gasoline. This kind of cooperative assessment should help avoid a situation such as the one created by the addition of lead to gasoline before its health risks were clearly understood. TOXICOLOGICAL STUDIES A second major area of NIEHS interest is in the advancement of methodologies used to conduct toxicological studies. Through the National Toxicology Program, NIEHS manages the largest toxicologic research and testing program in the PHS. We are giving high priority to improving the methods of estimating the low dose effects in humans based on the results of moderate to higher dose toxicological studies in animals. In addition to increasing the amount of toxicity data from the classical rodent assay, we are generating supplemental information on oncogene activation, pharmacokinetics, receptor binding, and cell proliferation. One outcome of these efforts will be to provide the regulatory agencies with biological mechanisms studies and data that can be melded with our toxicological findings in order to produce better estimates of human health risk. BIOMARKERS We are also quite excited about our research on biomarkers for both environmental exposures and molecular effects of chemicals in people. We see an important future research area in terms of sorting out the factors-for example, genetics-that go into different human susceptibilities to toxicants. RISK ASSESSMENT In this context of better risk assessments, an example would be the issue of dioxin and its effects at very low levels, the possibility that dioxin toxicity is a receptor-mediated effect, and what the receptor link might mean for better risk assessments of dioxin effects at low dose levels. There is quite a concentrated research effort here, and NIEHS has led the way in such receptor research for years. ASBESTOS Another example of NIEHS research activity and opportunities is asbestos and the controversies about abatement of asbestos in buildings. Here, the argument concerns the toxicological effects of fiber type and size. NIEHS scientists are conducting the basic research needed to understand the mechanisms of biological action of asbestos and to better define the significance of certain key parameters such as fiber type, fiber size and lung clearance mechanisms. CONCLUSION In concluding, I should like to say, almost all of our efforts are directed toward preventing adverse health effects caused by environmental agents. We provide the science base for legislation and regulation that protects public health. We need the basic research that links to applied toxicological findings so that we can do a better job assessing health risks and in protecting public health. I thank you and would be happy to answer any questions. [The statement of Dr. Hoel follows:] |