Health and the Environment in the Southeastern United States

Health and the Environment in the Southeastern United States
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 84
Release: 2002-10-30
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309168902

The purpose of this regional workshop in the Southeast was to broaden the environmental health perspective from its typical focus on environmental toxicology to a view that included the impact of the natural, built, and social environments on human health. Early in the planning, Roundtable members realized that the process of engaging speakers and developing an agenda for the workshop would be nearly as instructive as the workshop itself. In their efforts to encourage a wide scope of participation, Roundtable members sought input from individuals from a broad range of diverse fields-urban planners, transportation engineers, landscape architects, developers, clergy, local elected officials, heads of industry, and others. This workshop summary captures the discussions that occurred during the two-day meeting. During this workshop, four main themes were explored: (1) environmental and individual health are intrinsically intertwined; (2) traditional methods of ensuring environmental health protection, such as regulations, should be balanced by more cooperative approaches to problem solving; (3) environmental health efforts should be holistic and interdisciplinary; and (4) technological advances, along with coordinated action across educational, business, social, and political spheres, offer great hope for protecting environmental health. This workshop report is an informational document that provides a summary of the regional meeting.

U.S. Health in International Perspective

U.S. Health in International Perspective
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 421
Release: 2013-04-12
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309264146

The United States is among the wealthiest nations in the world, but it is far from the healthiest. Although life expectancy and survival rates in the United States have improved dramatically over the past century, Americans live shorter lives and experience more injuries and illnesses than people in other high-income countries. The U.S. health disadvantage cannot be attributed solely to the adverse health status of racial or ethnic minorities or poor people: even highly advantaged Americans are in worse health than their counterparts in other, "peer" countries. In light of the new and growing evidence about the U.S. health disadvantage, the National Institutes of Health asked the National Research Council (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to convene a panel of experts to study the issue. The Panel on Understanding Cross-National Health Differences Among High-Income Countries examined whether the U.S. health disadvantage exists across the life span, considered potential explanations, and assessed the larger implications of the findings. U.S. Health in International Perspective presents detailed evidence on the issue, explores the possible explanations for the shorter and less healthy lives of Americans than those of people in comparable countries, and recommends actions by both government and nongovernment agencies and organizations to address the U.S. health disadvantage.

Pollutants, Human Health and the Environment

Pollutants, Human Health and the Environment
Author: Jane A. Plant
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 357
Release: 2012-02-08
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1119951062

Pollutants, Human Health and the Environment is a comprehensive, up-to-date overview of environmental pollutants that are of current concern to human health. Clearly structured throughout, the main body of the book is divided by pollutant type with a chapter devoted to each group of pollutants. Each chapter follows a similar format to facilitate comparison and discussion. For each pollutant, the authors describe the sources, pathways, environmental fate and sinks as well as known toxicological effects. Importantly, the second chapter on heavy metals and other inorganic substances deals with trace element deficiencies which can have serious problems for human health. Some rocks and soils are naturally low in some trace elements and intensive agriculture over the past half century has effectively mined many trace elements reducing their levels in soils and crops. The final chapter is a discussion about the various risk assessment frameworks and regulations covering the main pollutants. Comprehensive, up-to-date coverage of environmental pollutants of concern to human health Clearly divided into pollutant type with each chapter devoted to a different pollutant group Clearly structured throughout with the same format for each chapter to help facilitate comparison and discussion and enable readers to prioritise chemicals of concern Description of the sources, pathways, environmental fate and known toxicological effect Includes contributions from leading researchers and edited by a team of experts in the field

Animals as Sentinels of Environmental Health Hazards

Animals as Sentinels of Environmental Health Hazards
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 173
Release: 1991-02-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309040469

Studying animals in the environment may be a realistic and highly beneficial approach to identifying unknown chemical contaminants before they cause human harm. Animals as Sentinels of Environmental Health Hazards presents an overview of animal-monitoring programs, including detailed case studies of how animal health problemsâ€"such as the effects of DDT on wild bird populationsâ€"have led researchers to the sources of human health hazards. The authors examine the components and characteristics required for an effective animal-monitoring program, and they evaluate numerous existing programs, including in situ research, where an animal is placed in a natural setting for monitoring purposes.

Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States

Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States
Author: US Global Change Research Program
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 592
Release: 2018-02-06
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1510726217

As global climate change proliferates, so too do the health risks associated with the changing world around us. Called for in the President’s Climate Action Plan and put together by experts from eight different Federal agencies, The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health: A Scientific Assessment is a comprehensive report on these evolving health risks, including: Temperature-related death and illness Air quality deterioration Impacts of extreme events on human health Vector-borne diseases Climate impacts on water-related Illness Food safety, nutrition, and distribution Mental health and well-being This report summarizes scientific data in a concise and accessible fashion for the general public, providing executive summaries, key takeaways, and full-color diagrams and charts. Learn what health risks face you and your family as a result of global climate change and start preparing now with The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health.

Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health

Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health
Author: Clare Heaviside
Publisher: MDPI
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2021-01-05
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3039367404

Climate change poses a serious challenge to our health and wellbeing. The increasing frequency of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, and heatwaves, and the direct impacts of changes in temperature have direct impacts on health. At the same time, broader environmental change affects infectious disease risk, air pollution, and other forms of exposure. The different ways in which climate change will affect health are complex, interactive, and different communities are disproportionately affected. International actions such as the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals recognise the future risks to society and acknowledge that we are already committed to a certain level of climate change. Future adaptation measures therefore need careful assessment and implementation for us to be able to minimise the potential risks from climate change and, at the same time, maximise the potential health benefits of a cleaner, greener world. This Special Issue comprises original research articles and detailed reviews on the likely impacts of climate change on health in a range of geographical settings, and the potential for adaptation measures to reduce some of these risks. Ultimately, studies like these will motivate policy level action for mitigation and help in determining the most effective methods of adaptation to reduce negative impacts in future through embedding scientific evidence into practice.

Environmental Hazards and Human Health

Environmental Hazards and Human Health
Author: Richard B. Philp
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 328
Release: 1995-04-13
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9781566701334

The need for government regulation of the use and disposal of toxic chemicals, and the nature of the risk associated with them, is certain to increase over the next few years. Information concerning the hazards of new chemicals will also emerge. The high cost of completely eliminating some synthetic chemicals from the environment makes it essential to have an appreciation of their real, relative risks against the background of natural hazards encountered daily. This text is the only one currently available that addresses these questions and provides a knowledge base of the principles of toxicology (pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, toxicity testing, and so on), describes mechanistically the major natural and anthropogenic toxicants in the environment, and applies this knowledge to an understanding of the nature and extent of risks that are posed to society at large as well as to the work force. This text differs from similar ones by placing xenobiotics of human origin in perspective to naturally occurring ones. Examples of industrial accidents are used liberally, and 24 case studies of toxic reactions, taken from real occurrences, are included. Review questions provide an opportunity for self-evaluation.

Oxford Textbook of Global Public Health

Oxford Textbook of Global Public Health
Author: Roger Detels
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 1717
Release: 2017
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 019881013X

Sixth edition of the hugely successful, internationally recognised textbook on global public health and epidemiology, with 3 volumes comprehensively covering the scope, methods, and practice of the discipline

Environmental Health Risk VII

Environmental Health Risk VII
Author: C. A. Brebbia
Publisher: WIT Press
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2013
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1845647041

Environmental Health Risk VII contains contributions presented at the Seventh International Conference on the Impact of Environmental Factors on Health. The successful biennial series began in 1997 and covers health problems related to the environment, which are causing increasing concern all over the world. Important to the public health is Society's ability to ensure good quality air, water, soil, and food and to eliminate or considerably reduce hazards from the human environment. That ability greatly depends on the development of techniques, both modelling and interpretive, that allow decision-makers to assess the risk posed by various factors and to propose improvements.The book covers such topics as: Risk prevention and monitoring; Mitigation problems; Disaster management and preparedness; Epidemiological studies and pandemics; Control of pollution risk; Air pollution; Water quality issues; Food safety; Radiation fields; Toxicology analysis; Ecology and health; Waste disposal; Occupational health; Social and economic issues; Accidents and man-made risks; The built environment and health; Designing for health; Contamination in rural areas; Environmental education and risk abatement.

Biodiversity and Human Health

Biodiversity and Human Health
Author: Francesca Grifo
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 1997-02-01
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 9781559635004

The implications of biodiversity loss for the global environment have been widely discussed, but only recently has attention been paid to its direct and serious effects on human health. Biodiversity loss affects the spread of human diseases, causes a loss of medical models, diminishes the supplies of raw materials for drug discovery and biotechnology, and threatens food production and water quality. Biodiversity and Human Health brings together leading thinkers on the global environment and biomedicine to explore the human health consequences of the loss of biological diversity. Based on a two-day conference sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Smithsonian Institution, the book opens a dialogue among experts from the fields of public health, biology, epidemiology, botany, ecology, demography, and pharmacology on this vital but often neglected concern. Contributors discuss the uses and significance of biodiversity to the practice of medicine today, and develop strategies for conservation of these critical resources. Topics examined include: the causes and consequences of biodiversity loss emerging infectious diseases and the loss of biodiversity the significance and use of both prescription and herbal biodiversity-derived remedies indigenous and local peoples and their health care systems sustainable use of biodiversity for medicine an agenda for the future In addition to the editors, contributors include Anthony Artuso, Byron Bailey, Jensa Bell, Bhaswati Bhattacharya, Michael Boyd, Mary S. Campbell, Eric Chivian, Paul Cox, Gordon Cragg, Andrew Dobson, Kate Duffy-Mazan, Robert Engelman, Paul Epstein, Alexandra S. Fairfield, John Grupenhoff, Daniel Janzen, Catherine A. Laughin, Katy Moran, Robert McCaleb, Thomas Mays, David Newman, Charles Peters, Walter Reid, and John Vandermeer. The book provides a common framework for physicians and biomedical researchers who wish to learn more about environmental concerns, and for members of the environmental community who desire a greater understanding of biomedical issues.