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Books > Medicine > General issues > Public health & preventive medicine > Personal & public health > Environmental factors
Recent articles in the press have explored a possible link between cancer and such familiar sources of electromagnetic fields as power distribution lines or electronic appliances. In this book a distinguished physicist evaluates the properties of low-frequency electromagnetic fields and their interactions with the human body and concludes that the health risks from these interactions have been vastly overstated. William Ralph Bennett, Jr., reviews the epidemiological evidence for a link between low-frequency electromagnetic fields and cancer. He then reviews the basic properties of these fields, outlining the simplest methods for calculating and measuring them and illustrating his discussion with original data on the electromagnetic fields produced by power lines, electrified railroads, common household appliances, video display terminals, television sets, and airport metal detectors. He considers the specific ways by which electric and magnetic fields couple to the body; compares these fields with others of much greater magnitude that must exist inside the body because of thermodynamic processes; and analyzes several resonance mechanisms that have been proposed to explain unusual sensitivity of biological tissue to low-frequency oscillating fields. A glossary and numerous tables and figures accompany the text. The book is based on a study by the author for the U.S. Government's Committee on Interagency Radiation Research and Policy Coordination that was coordinated by Oak Ridge Associated Universities.
Human exposure to toxic substances that cause cancer, reproductive abnormalities, and other adverse health effects is a topic of increasing interest to scientists, journalists, workers, business executives, advocacy groups, and the public at large. Citizen concern has prompted the government to establish an elaborate regulatory system designed to protect people from chemical exposures. Harnessing Science examines the role of science in toxic chemical regulation at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The book postulates that scientific knowledge and advice from experts outside of government is critical to the competence and credibility of regulations designed to protect public health. This unique volume takes a close look at the contributions of three specific organizations that were designed to improve regulatory science: the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology (CIIT), the Science Advisory Board of the EPA, and the Health Effects Institute. Early chapters trace the origins and histories of each of these three organizations. Then regulatory case studies of selected chemical substances (unleaded gasoline, perchloroethylene, formaldehyde, nitrates, and carbon monoxide) are used to assess the contributions of CIIT, SAB, and HEI. The final chapter makes specific recommendations designed to strengthen these organizations. Harnessing Science for Environmental Regulation is essential reading for anyone who is interested in how science influences regulatory decisions about human exposure to toxic chemicals. It will be of special interest to federal and state policy makers, practicing scientists, environmental advocates, risk assessors, corporate managers, and environmental journalists.
For readers of Plague of Corruption, Thomas S. Cowan, MD, and Sally Fallon Morell ask the question: are there really such things as "viruses"? Or are electro smog, toxic living conditions, and 5G actually to blame for COVID-19? The official explanation for today's COVID-19 pandemic is a "dangerous, infectious virus." This is the rationale for isolating a large portion of the world's population in their homes so as to curb its spread. From face masks to social distancing, from antivirals to vaccines, these measures are predicated on the assumption that tiny viruses can cause serious illness and that such illness is transmissible person-to-person. It was Louis Pasteur who convinced a skeptical medical community that contagious germs cause disease; his "germ theory" now serves as the official explanation for most illness. However, in his private diaries he states unequivocally that in his entire career he was not once able to transfer disease with a pure culture of bacteria (he obviously wasn't able to purify viruses at that time). He admitted that the whole effort to prove contagion was a failure, leading to his famous death bed confession that "the germ is nothing, the terrain is everything." While the incidence and death statistics for COVID-19 may not be reliable, there is no question that many people have taken sick with a strange new disease-with odd symptoms like gasping for air and "fizzing" feelings-and hundreds of thousands have died. Many suspect that the cause is not viral but a kind of pollution unique to the modern age-electromagnetic pollution. Today we are surrounded by a jangle of overlapping and jarring frequencies-from power lines to the fridge to the cell phone. It started with the telegraph and progressed to worldwide electricity, then radar, then satellites that disrupt the ionosphere, then ubiquitous Wi-Fi. The most recent addition to this disturbing racket is fifth generation wireless-5G. In The Contagion Myth: Why Viruses (including Coronavirus) are Not the Cause of Disease, bestselling authors Thomas S. Cowan, MD, and Sally Fallon Morell tackle the true causes of COVID-19. On September 26, 2019, 5G wireless was turned on in Wuhan, China (and officially launched November 1) with a grid of about ten thousand antennas-more antennas than exist in the whole United States, all concentrated in one city. A spike in cases occurred on February 13, the same week that Wuhan turned on its 5G network for monitoring traffic. Illness has subsequently followed 5G installation in all the major cities in America. Since the dawn of the human race, medicine men and physicians have wondered about the cause of disease, especially what we call "contagions," numerous people ill with similar symptoms, all at the same time. Does humankind suffer these outbreaks at the hands of an angry god or evil spirit? A disturbance in the atmosphere, a miasma? Do we catch the illness from others or from some outside influence? As the restriction of our freedoms continues, more and more people are wondering whether this is true. Could a packet of RNA fragments, which cannot even be defined as a living organism, cause such havoc? Perhaps something else is involved-something that has upset the balance of nature and made us more susceptible to disease? Perhaps there is no "coronavirus" at all; perhaps, as Pasteur said, "the germ is nothing, the terrain is everything."
Assembles a collection of experts to provide a current account of different approaches (e.g., traditional, comparative and experimental) being applied to study mobility. Moreover, the book aims to stimulate new theoretical perspectives that adopt a holistic view of the interaction among intrinsic (i.e. skeletal) and extrinsic (i.e. environmental) factors that influence differential expression of mobility. Since the environment undoubtedly impacts mobility of a wide variety of animals, insights into human mobility, as a concept, can be improved by extending approaches to investigating comparable environmental influences on mobility in animals in general. The book teases apart environmental effects that transcend typical categories (e.g., coastal versus inland, mountainous versus level, arboreal versus terrestrial). Such an approach, when coupled with a new emphasis on mobility as types of activities rather than activity levels, offers a fresh, insightful perspective on mobility and how it might affect the musculoskeletal system.
Does living a stress-filled life lead to elevated blood pressure? And if so, do strategies to better manage stress effectively lower blood pressure? In this authoritative and comprehensive book, Kevin T. Larkin examines more than a half-century of empirical evidence obtained to test the common assumption that stress is associated with the onset and maintenance of essential hypertension (high blood pressure).While the research confirms that stress does play a role in the exacerbation of essential hypertension, numerous other factors must also be considered, among them obesity, exercise, and smoking, as well as demographic, constitutional, and psychological concerns. The author discusses the effectiveness of strategies developed to manage stress and thereby lower blood pressure and concludes with suggestions and directions for further study.
Awareness that many key aspects of public health are strongly influenced by climate is growing dramatically, driven by new research and experience and fears of climate change and the research needed to underpin policy developments in area is growing rapidly. This awareness has yet to translate into a practical use of climate knowledge by health policy-makers. Evidence based policy and practice is the mantra of the health sector. If climate scientists are to contribute effectively to health policy at local and global scales then careful empirical studies must be undertaken a" focused on the needs of the public health policy and decision-makers. Results presented at the Wengen conference make clear that the science and art of integrating climate knowledge into the control of climate sensitive diseases on a year to year time frame as well as careful assessments of the potential impacts of climate change on health outcomes over longer time frames is advancing rapidly on many fronts. This includes advances in the empirical understanding of mechanisms, methodologies for modeling future impacts, new partnership developments between the health and climate community along with access to relevant data resources, and education and training. In a rapidly evolving field this book provides a snapshot of these emerging themes.
Provides the latest QMRA methodologies to determine infection risk cause by either accidental microbial infections or deliberate infections caused by terrorism - Reviews the latest methodologies to quantify at every step of the microbial exposure pathways, from the first release of a pathogen to the actual human infection - Provides techniques on how to gather information, on how each microorganism moves through the environment, how to determine their survival rates on various media, and how people are exposed to the microorganism - Explains how QMRA can be used as a tool to measure the impact of interventions and identify the best policies and practices to protect public health and safety - Includes new information on genetic methods - Techniques use to develop risk models for drinking water, groundwater, recreational water, food and pathogens in the indoor environment
This book provides a concise, yet comprehensive overview of the many facets relating to human health risk assessments in relation to chemical exposure problems. It presents some very important tools and methodologies that can be used to address chemical exposure and public health risk management problems in a consistent, efficient, and cost-effective manner. On the whole, the book represents a collection and synthesis of the principal elements of the risk assessment process that may be used to more effectively address issues pertaining to human exposures to chemicals found in modern societies. This also includes an elaboration of pertinent risk assessment concepts and techniques/methodologies for performing human health risk assessments. Written for both the novice and the experienced, the subject matter of this book is an attempt at offering a simplified and systematic presentation of public health risk assessment methods and application tools - all these facilitated by a layout that will carefully navigate the user through the major processes involved. A number of illustrative example problems are interspersed throughout the book, in order to help present the book in an easy-to-follow, pragmatic manner.
Readers drawn to Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, Laurie Garrett's The Coming Plague, or Theo Colburn's Our Stolen Future will appreciate this work by Thomas Kerns as well. The growing epidemics of chemically induced illnesses from long-term, low-dose exposure to toxicants in both developed and developing nations are being studied by serious researchers. Questions are being raised as to how societies will deal with these new problems. Kerns's book is the first to directly address the ethical dimension of managing environmental health and ubiquitous toxicants (such as solvents, pesticides, and artificial fragrances). The work includes recent medical literature on chronic health effects from exposure to toxicants and the social costs of these disorders; relevant historic and human rights documents; recommendations for public policy and legislation; and primary obstacles faced by public health advocates. College instructors and students, victims of chemical sensitivity disorders, public health workers, scientists, and policymakers who are interested in the challenge of these emerging epidemics will find Kerns's text highly informative.
This volume highlights some of the challenges in delivering effective environmental health interventions, and presents examples of emergent theories and case studies that can help close the gap between intent and impact. These include impact crediting systems, objective evidence gathering tools, and social businesses that service environmental health. The case studies presented cross disciplines, scales, organizational and national boundaries and can defy easy categorization. A water project may be designed for a health impact, but financed with a climate change tool, and leverage high tech cell phone sensors. A cookstove program may be primarily concerned with employment and capacity building, but balance environmental and health concerns. Presently, the impact of interventions may not always be aligned to the intent sought. In this book, readers will discover alternative ways to move the mindset of funders and implementers toward pay-for-performance models of humanitarian and environmental interventions. Undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in social enterprise, social entrepreneurship, global health, appropriate technology, international development and development engineering would benefit from these increasingly non-traditional case studies that challenge commonly accepted presentations of poverty reduction and social enterprise.
The 1990s have seen a growing interest in the role of local ecological knowledge in the context of sustainable development, and particularly in providing a set of responses to which populations may resort in times of political, economic and environmental instability. The period 1996-2003 in island southeast Asia represents a critical test case for understanding how this might work. The key issues to be explored in this book will be the creation, erosion and transmission of ecological knowledge, and hybridization between traditional and scientifically-based knowledge, amongst populations facing environmental stress (e.g. 1997 El Nino), political conflict and economic hazards. The book will also evaluate positive examples of how traditional knowledge has enabled local populations to cope with these kinds of insecurity.
The field of endocrine disruption or endocrine active compounds (EACs), which is just emerging and still controversial, is comprehensively covered by leading experts in Volume 3, Subvolumes L (Part I) and M (the present volume, Part II). The major classes of endocrine active chemicals are discussed, as well as methods for their detection and their association with health disturbances in humans and wildlife. The etiology of several of the human diseases associated with endocrine disruptors, e.g. breast and prostate cancer, decreased fertility and malformations, is still poorly understood, and the current state of knowledge is presented. Since hormonally active agents appear to have the potential of both adverse and beneficial effects, the evidence of health benefits associated with endocrine active compounds in humans is also presented. Basic chapters on the mode of action of EACs and on the etiology of the associated diseases facilitate the understanding of this complex subject for non-medical readers.
This book explains, in concise chapters, the diversity and
complexity of what is known concerning human responses to
vibration. The book covers both whole body vibration and
hand-transmitted vibration and contains pictorial models of the
relevant variables, as well as experimental data and
epidemiological studies. The study of human vibration incorporates
psychology, mathematics, physiology, engineering, medicine, and
statistics, and the Handbook of Human Vibration is written to
assist both students of the subject and those addressing practical
problems. The text does not depend on an advanced knowledge of
mathematics or a familiarity with the jargon from the various
disciplines, and is accessible to all persons interested in human
vibration, including medical doctors, engineers, lawyers,
scientists, trade union officials and administrators.
This book focuses on the emerging health issues due to climate change, particularly emphasizing the situation in developing countries. Thanks to recent development in the areas of remote sensing, GIS technology, and downscale modeling of climate, it has now become possible to depict and predict the relationship between environmental factors and health-related event data with a meaningful spatial and temporal scale. The chapters address new aspects of environment-health relationship relevant to this smaller scale analyses, including how considering people's mobility changes the exposure profile to certain environmental factors, how considering behavioral characteristics is important in predicting diarrhea risks after urban flood, and how small-scale land use patterns will affect the risk of infection by certain parasites, and subtle topography of the land profile. Through the combination of reviews and case studies, the reader would be able to learn how the issues of health and climate/social changes can be addressed using available technology and datasets. The post-2015 UN agenda has just put forward, and tremendous efforts have been started to develop and establish appropriate indicators to achieve the SDG goals. This book will also serve as a useful guide for creating such an indicator associated with health and planning, in line with the Ecohealth concept, the major tone of this book. With the increasing and pressing needs for adaptation to climate change, as well as societal change, this would be a very timely publication in this trans-disciplinary field.
This book introduces crucial environmental and health issues, since environmental degradation and illness and disease prevent millions of people in many countries from surviving and achieving their potential. The book thus serves as a comprehensive guide to key environmental and health issues confronting the planet, enumerates approaches and techniques to address these issues, and provides real-world examples of good corporate citizenship.Although there are a growing number of books on corporate social responsibility (and related concepts, such as business ethics, stakeholder theory and sustainable development), there is no volume comparable to this one. Specifically the book addresses a range of issues that will be invaluable to many specialists such as: organization leaders who want to improve the environment and health of their colleagues at home and globally, practitioners in corporate social responsibility, managers involved in environmental, health and safety issues and finally business students who wish to seek to enhance the well-being of their colleagues and the health of the planet and humanity.
Over the last few decades, there have been dramatic improvements in the understanding and research of environmental design. Numerous methods have been developed to enhance architectural design in order for it to be more energy efficient, sustainable and health enhancing. This book presents several theories and techniques that can be used to improve how buildings are engineered and designed in order to utilize more sustainable construction methods while promoting the health of the building's occupants. Contributions to the study of environmental design have come from a diversity of fields including applied mathematics, optimization, computer science, medical research, psychology, management science, architecture, and engineering. The techniques developed in these areas of research can be used to increase building performance, occupant satisfaction, productivity, and well being, and reducing the incidence of health conditions and chronic diseases related to the use of a designed space. This book provides architectural practitioners, civil engineers as well as other interdisciplinary researchers with the techniques needed to design, implement, and test for sustainability and health promotion in new or existing structures.
Probably more than any other British anthropologist, Roy Ellen is associated with the study of ethnobiology; his has also long ranked among the leading names in the field . . . Both readers new to Ellen as well as those already familiar with his work will find this collection rewarding. American Anthropologist The 1990s have seen a growing interest in the role of local ecological knowledge in the context of sustainable development, and particularly in providing a set of responses to which populations may resort in times of political, economic and environmental instability. The period 1996-2003 in island southeast Asia represents a critical test case for understanding how this might work. The key issues to be explored in this book will be the creation, erosion and transmission of ecological knowledge, and hybridization between traditional and scientifically based knowledge, amongst populations facing environmental stress (e.g. 1997 El Nino), political conflict and economic hazards. The book will also evaluate positive examples of how traditional knowledge has enabled local populations to cope with these kinds of insecurity."
This chapter introduces key themes from the book, reflecting the topics of the 'Awareness of the Health Impacts of Waste Management Policies' Seminar, in Kos, Greece. November, 1998. The waste management and health scene is introduced by an outline of concems relating to persistent organic pollutants, as well as through perspectives from Less Developed Countries and from industry. An overview of policy lines for waste management includes an assessment of recent proposals by the European Commission, as well as selected examples from European countries and the USA. Descriptions of developments in research, tools and conceptual approaches for waste management and health issues are provided. Research into health effects of dioxins and PCBs is outlined, as are reviews of technological options for waste management, proposed developments in health impact assessment, environmental taxes as a waste management tool, and integrated regional waste management approaches. A series of case studies provide real world examples of research and policy development including a review of the effects of waste management on wildlife and domestic animals. In conclusion, important crossover themes and challenges are outlined. Topical issues include differences between technological capacity and actual performance, burden of proof and the precautionary principle, hazard versus risk assessment, and societal dimensions of awareness and attitudes. Time-lag, intergenerational effects and the introduction of the chemical hygiene concept are highlighted as important considerations, as well as the general need for prioritisation of the child and infant in all regulatory procedures."
This volume focuses on the use of system genetic methods and the use of murine models to study the role of gene variants and environmental factors on human health and disease-what is now often called personalized or precision health care. The protocols in this book will help readers analyze genetic causes of heritable variation across a wide range of systems and traits using rodent models. The chapters in this book are separated into three sections that cover: 1) resources for systems genetics; 2) tools for analysis and integration in systems genetics; and 3) systems genetics use cases. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and tools, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Practical and thorough, Systems Genetics: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource for anyone who is interested in this diverse field.
This book discusses different drinking water treatment technologies and what contaminants each treatment method can remove, and at what costs. The production of drinking water requires adequate management. This book attempts to fill the existing knowlegde gap about (a) water treatment technologies and their costs, (b) risk assessment methods, (c) adverse health effects of chemical contaminants, (d) management protocols, and varying regulatory practices in different jurisdictions, and what successes are possible even with small financial outlays. Addressing water consulting engineers, politicians, water managers, ecosystem and environmental activists, and water policy researchers, and being clearly structured through a division in four parts, this book considers theoretical aspects, technologies, chemical contaminants and their possible elimination, and illustrates all aspects in selected international case studies.Source-water protection, water treatment technology, and the water distribution network are critically reviewed and discussed. The book suggests improvements for the management of risks and financial viability of the treatment infrastructure, as well as ways toward an optimal management of the distribution network through the risk-based management of all infrastructure assets.
In the approach to the analysis of disease, including, of course, cancer, two major thrusts may be distinguished. These may be referred to, in shorthand, as agents and processes: the causative agents (chemical, microbial, physical, environmental, and psychosocial) and the organismic processes, initiated and furthered by the agents, culminating in observable pathology (at the macromolecular, cytological, histological, organ function, locomotor, and behavioral levels). The past 25 years, since the appearance of the first volume of the predecessor series (1) authored by the Editors of this present volume, have seen an impressive number of studies on chemicals (and other agents) as etiologic factors in the induction of cancer. The major emphasis has been on the discovery of many chemical carcinogens of widely different structures, their metabolism by various tissues and cells, and, in turn, their molecular-biochemical effects on the cells. This rapidly expanded body of information, as effectively covered in the predecessor volumes, is an excellent entree to the second half of the overall problem of chemical carcinogenesis, the processes. The active agents trigger a large array of molecular-biochemical alterations to which the target cells, target tissues, and target organisms respond in many select and common ways. This second major aspect of the induction of cancer by chemicals (and by other agents)- the sequence of cellular and tissue changes clearly relevant to cancer-remains the challenge for the future.
During recent decades, millions of tonnes of man-made chemicals have been produced and released into the environment, with very little safety testing. Many of these chemical substances have been found to interfere with the endocrine system and modulate its function. This book not only overviews the effects of endocrine/disrupting substances on human health, but also addresses the regulatory problems from the point of view of international organisations, including the WHO, the EU, and the European Chlorine Industry. This volume contains the proceedings of a workshop held at the International Hippocrates Foundation on Kos Island, Greece, in September 1999. The workshop was part of the activities of the ASPIS project, which aims at raising awareness of environmental health impacts among multidisciplinary groups. The contributions to this volume are the result of the interaction of participants at the workshop. As such, it addresses the issue of endocrine disrupters from many different points of view and allows the subject to be approached by a multidisciplinary readership, including: decision makers, medical doctors, environmental experts, post/and undergraduate students, lawyers, engineers, and journalists. |
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