Environmental Medicine

Environmental Medicine
Author: Committee on Curriculum Development in Environmental Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 988
Release: 1995-05-12
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309568722

People are increasingly concerned about potential environmental health hazards and often ask their physicians questions such as: "Is the tap water safe to drink?" "Is it safe to live near power lines?" Unfortunately, physicians often lack the information and training related to environmental health risks needed to answer such questions. This book discusses six competency based learning objectives for all medical school students, discusses the relevance of environmental health to specific courses and clerkships, and demonstrates how to integrate environmental health into the curriculum through published case studies, some of which are included in one of the book's three appendices. Also included is a guide on where to obtain additional information for treatment, referral, and follow-up for diseases with possible environmental and/or occupational origins.

Dioxins and Health

Dioxins and Health
Author: A. Schecter
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 740
Release: 1994-12-31
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780306447853

This book originated in a series of cross-disciplinary conversations in the years 1984-1990 between the editor, who is a physician-researcher involved in clinical and laboratory research, and a dioxin toxicologist. During the years in which the conversations took place, an extraordinary amount of new scientific literature was published related to dioxins, defined for purposes of this text as the chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans, polychlorinated biphe nyls (PCB's) and other compounds that are structurally and toxicologically similar to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7 ,8-TCDD), the most extensively studied and most toxic of this group of chemicals. Dioxins also began to interest not only chemists and toxicologists, but also specialists from diverse disciplines such as wildlife and environmental science, immunology, neuroscience,public health, epidemiology, med icine, government, law, sociology, and journalism. Specialists from such varied disciplines, while familiar with their own literature, frequently did not have time to follow the dioxin literature outside their specialty area. In addition, each specialty had unique knowledge, methods, and perspectives. Cross disciplinary conversation was necessary, but all too frequently, specialists from the various disciplines did not speak the same language, resulting in misunderstanding.

A Risk-Management Strategy for PCB-Contaminated Sediments

A Risk-Management Strategy for PCB-Contaminated Sediments
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 451
Release: 2001-06-07
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0309073219

This book provides a risk-based framework for developing and implementing strategies to manage PCB-contaminated sediments at sites around the country. The framework has seven stages, beginning with problem definition, continuing through assessment of risks and management options, and ending with an evaluation of the success of the management strategy. At the center of the framework is continuous and active involvement of all affected parties-particularly communities-in the development, implementation, and evaluation of the management strategy. A Risk-Management Strategy for PCB-Contaminated Sediments emphasizes the need to consider all risks at a contaminated site, not just human health and ecological effects, but also the social, cultural, and economic impacts. Given the controversy that has arisen at many PCB-contaminated sites, this book provides a consistent, yet flexible, approach for dealing with the many issues associated with assessing and managing the risks at Superfund and other contaminated sites.

America's Children and the Environment

America's Children and the Environment
Author: U.s. Environmental Protection Agency
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 502
Release: 2017-05-31
Genre:
ISBN: 9781547052585

"America's Children and the Environment (ACE)" is EPA's report presenting data on children's environmental health. ACE brings together information from a variety of sources to provide national indicators in the following areas: Environments and Contaminants, Biomonitoring, and Health. Environments and Contaminants indicators describe conditions in the environment, such as levels of air pollution. Biomonitoring indicators include contaminants measured in the bodies of children and women of child-bearing age, such as children's blood lead levels. Health indicators report the rates at which selected health outcomes occur among U.S. children, such as the annual percentage of children who currently have asthma. Accompanying each indicator is text discussing the relevance of the issue to children's environmental health and describing the data used in preparing the indicator. Wherever possible, the indicators are based on data sources that are updated in a consistent manner, so that indicator values may be compared over time.

Persistent Organic Pollutants and Toxic Metals in Foods

Persistent Organic Pollutants and Toxic Metals in Foods
Author: Martin Rose
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 514
Release: 2013-05-15
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0857098918

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and toxic elements, such as dioxins, flame retardants, lead and mercury, are substances of major concern for the food industry, the regulator and the public. They persist in the environment, accumulate in food chains and may adversely affect human health if ingested over certain levels or with prolonged exposure. Persistent organic pollutants and toxic metals in foods explores the scientific and regulatory challenges of ensuring that our food is safe to eat.Part one provides an overview of regulatory efforts to screen, monitor and control persistent organic pollutants and heavy metals in foods and includes case studies detailing regulatory responses to food contamination incidents. Part two moves on to highlight particular POPs, toxic metals and metalloids in foods, including dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and phthalates.Persistent organic pollutants and toxic metals in foods is a standard reference for those in the food industry responsible for food safety, laboratories testing for food chemical safety, regulatory authorities responsible for ensuring the safety of food, and researchers in industry and academia interested in the science supporting food chemical safety. - Includes case studies which detail regulatory responses to food contamination incidents - Considers the uptake and transfer of persistent organic pollutants in the food chain and the risk assessment of contaminates in food - Details perticular persistent organic pollutants, toxic metals and metalloids in foods including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), mercury and arsenic among others

Systems Biology in Toxicology and Environmental Health

Systems Biology in Toxicology and Environmental Health
Author: Rebecca Fry
Publisher: Academic Press
Total Pages: 285
Release: 2015-06-11
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0128015683

Systems Biology in Toxicology and Environmental Health uses a systems biological perspective to detail the most recent findings that link environmental exposures to human disease, providing an overview of molecular pathways that are essential for cellular survival after exposure to environmental toxicants, recent findings on gene-environment interactions influencing environmental agent-induced diseases, and the development of computational methods to predict susceptibility to environmental agents. Introductory chapters on molecular and cellular biology, toxicology and computational biology are included as well as an assessment of systems-based tools used to evaluate environmental health risks. Further topics include research on environmental toxicants relevant to human health and disease, various high-throughput technologies and computational methods, along with descriptions of the biological pathways associated with disease and the developmental origins of disease as they relate to environmental contaminants. Systems Biology in Toxicology and Environmental Health is an essential reference for undergraduate students, graduate students, and researchers looking for an introduction in the use of systems biology approaches to assess environmental exposures and their impacts on human health. - Provides the first reference of its kind, demonstrating the application of systems biology in environmental health and toxicology - Includes introductions to the diverse fields of molecular and cellular biology, toxicology, and computational biology - Presents a foundation that helps users understand the connections between the environment and health effects, and the biological mechanisms that link them

Waste Incineration and Public Health

Waste Incineration and Public Health
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2000-10-21
Genre: Science
ISBN: 030906371X

Incineration has been used widely for waste disposal, including household, hazardous, and medical wasteâ€"but there is increasing public concern over the benefits of combusting the waste versus the health risk from pollutants emitted during combustion. Waste Incineration and Public Health informs the emerging debate with the most up-to-date information available on incineration, pollution, and human healthâ€"along with expert conclusions and recommendations for further research and improvement of such areas as risk communication. The committee provides details on: Processes involved in incineration and how contaminants are released. Environmental dynamics of contaminants and routes of human exposure. Tools and approaches for assessing possible human health effects. Scientific concerns pertinent to future regulatory actions. The book also examines some of the social, psychological, and economic factors that affect the communities where incineration takes place and addresses the problem of uncertainty and variation in predicting the health effects of incineration processes.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls

Polychlorinated Biphenyls
Author: Obaid Faroon
Publisher: WHO
Total Pages: 68
Release: 2003
Genre: Medical
ISBN:

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are synthetic chlorinated hydrocarbon compounds, produced commercially since 1929 for use in a variety of products including plastics and adhesives, surface coatings, inks, flame retardants, pesticides and paints. PCBs are environmentally persistent, and accumulate in the food chain. They are designated by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants as persistent pollutants, and many countries have severely restricted or banned the production of PCBs. This report evaluates the effects of PCBs on human health, caused due to exposure by inhaling contaminated air or ingesting contaminated food and water.