A central concern that has remained relevant in recent years has been the management of waste and pollution. Improper disposal methods such as open-air burning and unsafe recycling have led to significant public and environmental health issues including respiratory disorders, resource depletion, and infant mortality. Adopting new waste management techniques is a necessity in order to preserve the health of the global community and ecosystem. Waste Management Techniques for Improved Environmental and Public Health provides innovative insights into the advancing methods and technologies of reducing pollution and promoting sustainable development. The content within this publication examines ecological technologies, risk assessment, and green operation. It is designed for ecologists, biologists, researchers, enterprises, academicians, policymakers, scientists, environmental engineers, and students seeking current research on developing theories and techniques within waste moderation and environmental protection.

Health figures centrally in late twentieth-century environmental activism. There are many competing claims about the health of ecosystems, the health of the planet, and the health of humans, yet there is little agreement among the likes of D.C. lobbyists, grassroots organizers, eco-anarchist collectives, and science-based advocacy organizations about whose health matters most, or what health even means. In this book, Jennifer Thomson untangles the complex web of political, social, and intellectual developments that gave rise to the multiplicity of claims and concerns about environmental health. Thomson traces four strands of activism from the 1970s to the present, including the environmental lobby, environmental justice groups, radical environmentalism and bioregionalism, and climate justice activism. By focusing on health, environmentalists were empowered to intervene in the rise of neoliberalism, the erosion of the regulatory state, and the decimation of mass-based progressive politics, but, as this book reveals, an individualist definition of health ultimately won out over more communal understandings. Considering this turn from collective solidarity toward individual health helps explain the near paralysis of collective action in the face of planetary disaster.

Phytomanagement of Polluted Sites: Market Opportunities in Sustainable Phytoremediation brings together recent and established knowledge on different aspects of phytoremediation, providing this information in a single source that offers a cutting-edge synthesis of scientific and experiential knowledge on industrially contaminated site restoration that is useful for both practitioners and scientists. The book gives interested groups, both non-profit and for-profit, methods to manage dumpsites and other contaminated areas, including tactics on how to mitigate costs and even profit from ecological restoration.

The new framework for cooperative approaches and mechanisms under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement charts a path for the resurgence of carbon markets. However, the modalities, rules, and guidance are yet to be fully elaborated. Article 6 is a key part of the Paris Agreement. It allows Parties to voluntarily cooperate to meet their Nationally Determined Contributions, providing for international transfers of mitigation outcomes, a new mechanism for mitigation and sustainable development, and non-market approaches. Article 6 establishes the foundation for a post 2020 carbon market, but there are still many complex issues to be discussed and decided among Parties to finalize the Paris Agreement rulebook by the end of 2018. This publication examines the options for establishing guidance, rules, and modalities for the key elements of Article 6, decoding issues such as internationally transferred mitigation outcomes, environmental integrity, double counting and corresponding adjustments.

Latin America is one of the most diverse but also vulnerable regions in the world that is under continuous anthropogenic pressure due to increasing urban, industrial and agricultural developments. Although there are many research groups studying the impacts caused by those pressures, the results and conclusions obtained by many of them are largely unknown because their studies are mostly published at the local or regional scale. Ecotoxicology in Latin America represents an effort to collect and share research performed in Latin America in the area of ecotoxicology and environmental risk assessment, presenting a collection of relevant and innovative studies focused on the following topics: (i) Contaminant entrance, transportation, distribution and fate; (ii) Environmental risk in freshwater ecosystems; (iii) Ecological risk in coastal zones; (iv) Biomonitoring programs: water, sediment and air; (v) Physiological effects and biomarkers; (vi) Soil ecotoxicology; (vii) Bioaccumulation and human risk; (viii) Toxicity of emerging contaminants; and (ix) Frontiers in Ecotoxicology. This selection of topics aims at covering the most important subjects and applications of ecotoxicology, including classical and novel subjects. Therefore, this book contains chapters related to different environmental compartments prone to contamination (water, sediment, soil and air), to different contamination sources (agriculture, industry, urban discharges and natural emissions), and to multiple biological responses at different organizational levels (individual to ecosystems, including human beings). It is envisioned to have an international projection within and beyond Latin American countries, as it is a great opportunity to increase the networks not only among Latin American research teams working on similar subjects, but also with teams from other regions. The idea of this book was to favor the connection among groups to quickly improve the development of methods and their application in ecotoxicological and environmental risk studies in Latin America. This book will be useful to important sectors of environmental sciences and related areas, and to specific target demographics such as students and researchers acting in environmental studies, and decision-makers (i.e., politicians and environmental organizations). Ecotoxicology in Latin America presents 34 chapters authored by 111 researchers from 12 Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela) and from 6 non-Latin American countries (Austria, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and USA).

Arsenic (As) is one of the most toxic elements for plants, animal and humans, found in waters. It is considered as carcinogenic and causative agent of numerous human diseases by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, group 1) since 1980. Based on these observations and evidences, many studies have highlighted the interest of using plants for the detection of arsenic in the environment. Arsenic sources and speciation, as well as arsenic uptake and toxicity in plants, will be reviewed in Chapter One. Chapter Two aims to introduce the arsenic uptake in some of the common and popular fruits and vegetables that have been a pathway of risk to human health. In Chapter Three a three-module continuous plant design, capable of deliver up to 1 m3/day of arsenic-free drinking water, is described. Chapter Four studies the toxicogenesis of arsenic in wheat and paddy plants with subsequent internal metabolism and remediation strategies.

In the books opening chapter, Nefta Eleftheria Votsi, Ph.D., Athanasios Kallimanis, Ph.D., and Ioannis Pantis, Ph.D. methodically review present collected works to clarify Quiet Areas categories to identify research gaps and establish guidelines for the addition of Quiet Areas initiatives in cohesive environmental management approaches. Next, Angel M Dzhambov, MD and Donka D Dimitrova, Ph.D. examine the risk of hypertension connected to road traffic noise exposure in different ethnic groups in Bulgaria. Supplementing this, Hussein M Elmehdi, Ph.D. discusses noise exposure and related health risks with the goal to connect the results of measured noise exposures to sleep disturbance and annoyance. Angel M Dzhambov, MD proves a review of literature on traffic noise reduction by vegetation. Then, Janusz Bohatkiewicz, Ph.D. and Maciej Halucha present a study on quit pavements. Ending the book, David Isaac Ibarra Zarate gives an overview of the issue of road traffic noise while also presenting possible solutions.

How climate change can affect our health, from heat-related illnesses to extreme weather events. Climate change affects not just the planet but the people who live on it. In this book, physician Alan Lockwood describes how global warming will be bad for our health. Drawing on peer-reviewed scientific and medical research, Lockwood meticulously details the symptoms of climate change and their medical side effects. Our global ecosystems create webs of interdependence that support life on the planet. Lockwood shows how climate change is affecting these ecosystems and describes the resulting impact on health. For example, rising temperatures create long-duration heat waves during which people sicken and die. Climate change increases the risk for certain infectious diseases, including malaria, dengue fever, West Nile virus, Zika, and Lyme disease. Extreme weather and poor soil conditions cause agricultural shortfalls, leading to undernutrition and famine. There is even evidence that violence increases in warmer weather-including a study showing that pitchers throw "beanballs" (balls thrown with the intention of hitting the batter) significantly more often in hot weather. Climate change is real and it is happening now. We must use what we know to adapt to a warmer world and minimize adverse health effects: make city buildings cooler with air conditioning and "cool roofs," for example, and mobilize resources for predicted outbreaks of disease. But, Lockwood points out, we also need prevention. The ultimate preventive medicine is reducing greenhouse gas emissions and replacing energy sources that depend on fossil fuels with those that do not.

Surrounded by Canada's densest concentration of chemical manufacturing plants, members of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation express concern about a declining male birth rate and high incidences of miscarriage, asthma, cancer, and cardiovascular illness. Everyday Exposure uncovers the systemic injustices they face as they fight for environmental justice. Exploring the problems that conflicting levels of jurisdiction pose for the creation of effective policy, analyzing clashes between Indigenous and scientific knowledge, and documenting the experiences of Aamjiwnaang residents as they navigate their toxic environment, this book argues that social and political change requires a transformative "sensing policy" approach, one that takes the voices of Indigenous citizens seriously.

Celebrated as a major work since its original publication, The Sanitation of Brazil traces how rural health and sanitation policies influenced the formation of Brazil's national public health system. Gilberto Hochman's pioneering study examines the ideological, social and political forces that approached questions of health and government action. The era from 1910 to 1930 offered unique opportunities for public health reform, and Hochman examines its successes and failures. He looks at how health became a state concern, tying the emergence of public health policies to a nationalistic movement and to a convergence of the elites' social consciousness with their political and material interests. Politicians weighed the costs and benefits of state-run public health versus the burdens imposed by disease. Physicians and intellectuals, meanwhile, swayed them with warnings that endemic disease and official neglect might affect everyone--rich and poor, rural and urban, interior and coastal--if left unchecked. The book shows how disease and health were and are associated with nation-state building in Brazil.

Heavy metals are persistent in the environment and their elevated emission during longer periods of time can cause contamination of the environment. They are emitted in all environmental media, but can also be easily transported between them due to the atmospheric deposition, water runoff, etc., and thus accumulate in the environment or penetrate the food chains. The main routes of human exposure to heavy metals are through ingestion, inhalation or via dermal contact. Hence, there is a need for better understanding of absorption, distribution and deposition of heavy metals in the human body. This information is of a crucial importance for the evaluation of heavy metal potential health implications. In this book, Chapter One provides an overview of the heavy metal health hazards, presented as a consequence of heavy metal pollution, their availability and cycling between different media in the environment. Chapter Two comprehensively discusses the roles and harmful effects of heavy metals on human health, as well as the sources and techniques of removing heavy metals from the environment. Chapter Three explores the mechanisms of mercury cardiovascular toxicity, with a particular emphasis on its effects toward endothelial cells. Chapter Four focuses on the effects of exposure to soil contaminated by metals. Chapter Five examines antimicrobial functionalized textiles. Chapter Six discusses thallium poisoning. Chapter Seven provides a review of heavy metal pollution, human exposure and public health implications in Nigeria.

Take a random walk through your life and you'll find it is awash in industrial, often toxic, chemicals. Sip water from a plastic bottle and ingest bisphenol A. Prepare dinner in a non-stick frying pan or wear a layer of Gore-Tex only to be exposed to perfluorinated compounds. Hang curtains, clip your baby into a car seat, watch television-all are manufactured with brominated flame-retardants. Cosmetic ingredients, industrial chemicals, pesticides, and other compounds enter our bodies and remain briefly or permanently. Far too many suspected toxic hazards are unleashed every day that affect the development and function of our brain, immune system, reproductive organs, or hormones. But no public health law requires product testing of most chemical compounds before they enter the market. If products are deemed dangerous, toxicants must be forcibly reduced or removed-but only after harm has been done. In this scientifically rigorous legal analysis, Carl Cranor argues that just as pharmaceuticals and pesticides cannot be sold without pre-market testing, other chemical products should be subject to the same safety measures. Cranor shows, in terrifying detail, what risks we run, and that it is entirely possible to design a less dangerous commercial world.

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a process which helps decision making by predicting the consequences for health of choosing different options in terms of policies, plans, and projects. There is growing interest among health professionals, planners and politicians in using HIA to help safeguard and improve the health of populations and reduce health inequalities. Health Impact Assessment: Past Achievement, Current Understanding, and Future Progress explores the past development of HIA, its current practice and possible future. Written in two parts, the first section by John Kemm provides an overview describing the various ways in which an HIA can be done. Highly practical in emphasis, it describes how HIA can be applied in different contexts to meet the needs of different decision makers and answer a variety of questions. It deals not only with the many good reasons for using HIA but also critically examines the weaknesses of current practice. The second part consists of chapters written by authors practising HIA from different countries throughout the world, demonstrating the various pressures and legislative frameworks that have shaped the evolution of HIA. Illustrating the range of views about the reasons for doing HIA and how it should be done, and revealing how the practice of HIA has been adapted to suit different cultures and help decision making in varying situations.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for assessing the extent of environmental contamination and human health consequences in the event of a radiological incident such as a terrorist incident involving radioactive materials. Although the EPA will be mainly involved in the intermediate and recovery phases of an incident response, there also may be involvement in some activities in the early phase. This book describes project method validation guidance that a radioanalytical laboratory should comply with in order to validate methods used to process samples submitted during a radiological or nuclear incident, such as that caused by a terrorist attack. These responsibilities include response and recovery actions to detect and identify radioactive substances, and to co-ordinate federal radiological monitoring and assessment activities.

Human biomonitoring has developed from a research tool in occupational and environmental health to identify and quantify exposures to harmful substances in urine and blood. The analytical methods for detection of substances in biological media have considerably improved with smaller detection limits and more precise and specific measurements. Human biomonitoring is a valuable tool in exposure estimation of selected populations and currently used in surveillance programs all over the world. This two volume set provides an overview of current available biomarkers and human biomonitoring programs in environmental health, which is timely given the present debate on adverse health effects from environmental exposures. The books decribe both previous and ongoing studies as well as the newer biomarkers of exposure and effects. Volume one describes current human biomonitoring programs in Germany, Romania, France, Canada, India and Belgium, providing convincing evidence of a global decline in human exposures to lead and increasing concern from exposure to endocrine disruptors and the genotoxic compound. Biomarkers of specific exposures to a wide range of widely used everyday compounds such as phthalates, PFCs, bisphenol A, brominated flame retardants, PAHs, dioxins, mercury and arsenic are also discussed. Volume two decribes human biomonitoing of exposures to environmental tobacco smoke, mycotoxins, physiological stress, hormone activity, oxidative stress and ionizing radiation, as well as effect biomarkers of hemoglobin adducts, germ cells, micronuclei and individual susceptability. The books will be essential reading for toxicologists, environmental scientists and all those working in the safety and risk assessment of chemicals.

Lead poisoning and arsenic exposure have become serious health risks in the past few decades. Lead poisoning or plubism is a well-known toxicological condition, in which its exposure can cause either acute or chronic poisoning. It can also cause several disturbances on normal physiology of humans. The problem of lead poisoning can be seen all over the world, as can arsenic exposure. Arsenic is one of the most toxic and ubiquitously occurring minerals. It is found frequently in rivers and wells in some regions of Argentina and Chile. Arsenic's toxicity may be acute or chronic and is acquired involuntarily through ingestion of water or food, inhalation and to a lesser degree by percutaneous absorption. Exposure to arsenic in drinking water is related with many health effects that have different in incidences depending on the geographical area. The most evident effects are often related with cancer development, but arsenic can cause alterations on other organs as well. This book examines the potential adverse effects of lead poisoning and arsenic exposure on human health.

Cadmium is a natural element found in the earth's crust and, therefore, present in terrestrial and marine environments. Due to its chemical and physical properties, it is widely used in special alloys, stabilisers, coatings and above all in rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries. Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal of increasing environmental concern due to its wide variety of adverse effects. Living organisms are exposed to Cd via food, water and contaminated air. Studies in humans, animals and cultured cells revealed that Cd causes carcinogenesis in several organs and tissues; including lung, kidney, prostate, adrenals, testes and the hemopoietic system. This new and important book gathers the latest research from around the globe in this field of study with a focus on topics such as: the relation of cadmium to other elements and the antioxidant system, mechanisms of cadmium toxicity to various trophic saltwater organisms, the immunotoxicity of cadmium and others.

This book discusses and analyses how ecological models and approaches could contribute to improve human health. In the first section of the book, the evolution of human thought will be redrawn, from ancient conceptions of the world up to the most recent ecological models. The second section of the book presents a review of ecological theories, models, and approaches relevant to the field of health. The text proceeds in an historical perspective and from general to specific: generic theoretical referents followed by referents specific to a field of practice, a discipline, a population, or a situation. Numerous examples are provided. In the third section, common characteristics of ecological theories, models and approaches are described: 1) the consideration of personal, environmental, and occupational components, and the consideration of interactions between them; 2) the positive vision of health; 3) the focus on empowerment, self-determination, and self-regulation of individuals, and finally, 4) the fact that ecological interventions occur mostly in natural environments, where the person interacts with his or her environment and performs his or her occupations, rather than in institutions or hospitals. The fourth section deepens the concepts of environment and interactions, since these concepts were to date less defined in previous publications. New theoretical referents are proposed for these two elements. The fifth section presents the results of numerous studies with the aim of providing scientific evidence in support of ecological models and approaches. These studies are grouped according to the targeted components, which are the person, environment or occupation, as well as the interactions between these components. Finally, the sixth section brings a different perspective. Some fundamental ecological mechanisms of interaction are analysed according to human health and to the current context: demographic changes, climate change, depletion of resources, new diseases, pandemic risks and others. These events will, without a doubt, provoke a budgetary crisis which governments and health care systems will have to face; thus supporting the urgency to adopt ecological approaches. Many research questions are proposed to improve knowledge in the field of human ecology in this section. Concrete suggestions are also identified in order to improve population health. The conclusion presents a lucid and global synthesis of the situation. Humanity is at a stage never reached before, notably because of the presence of so many individuals on earth. Furthermore, human beings possess powerful abilities and technological possibilities but also the awareness and the responsibility which these elements confer to us. All health professionals are called to contribute to necessary efforts in favour of population health, now and for future generations, in a sustainable development perspective.

The history of a long-running environmental catastrophe chronicles the harmful effects of lead pipes and their continued use despite evidence that they pose a significant health risk. In The Great Lead Water Pipe Disaster, Werner Troesken looks at a long-running environmental and public health catastrophe: 150 years of lead pipes in local water systems and the associated sickness, premature death, political inaction, and social denial. The harmful effects of lead water pipes became apparent almost as soon as cities the world over began to install them. Doctors and scientists noted cases of acute illness and death attributable to lead in public water beginning in the middle of the nineteenth century, and an editorial in the New York Herald called for the city to study the matter after a bizarre illness made headlines in 1868. But officials took no action for many years. New York City, for example, did not take any steps to reduce lead levels in water until 1992, long after the most serious damage had been done. By then, in any case, much of the old lead pipe had been replaced with safer materials. Troesken examines the health effects of lead exposure, analyzing cases from New York City, Boston, and Glasgow and many smaller towns in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and England. He draws on period accounts, government reports, court decisions, and economic and demographic analysis to document the widespread nature of the problem, the recognized health effects-particularly for pregnant women and young children-and official intransigence. He presents an accessible overview of the old and new science of lead exposure-explaining, for example, why areas with soft water suffered more harmful effects than areas with hard water. And he gives us compelling and vivid accounts of the people and politics involved. The effects of lead in water continue to be felt; many older houses still have lead service pipes. The Great Lead Water Pipe Disaster is essential reading for understanding this past and ongoing public health problem.

"Superbly written and researched." —Booklist "Builds a strong case." —Kirkus Lyme disease is spreading rapidly around the globe as ticks move into places they could not survive before. The first epidemic to emerge in the era of climate change, the disease infects half a million people in the US and Europe each year, and untold multitudes in Canada, China, Russia, and Australia. Mary Beth Pfeiffer shows how we have contributed to this growing menace, and how modern medicine has underestimated its danger. She tells the heart-rending stories of families destroyed by a single tick bite, of children disabled, and of one woman’s tragic choice after an exhaustive search for a cure. Pfeiffer also warns of the emergence of other tick-borne illnesses that make Lyme more difficult to treat and pose their own grave risks. Lyme is an impeccably researched account of an enigmatic disease, making a powerful case for action to fight ticks, heal patients, and recognize humanity’s role in a modern scourge.

Written by a leading campaigner for GM Watch, one of the world's leading lobbying groups, this book reveals the huge issues that are at stake. Genetically modified food has been headline news for years, but it's difficult to know how far the genetic revolution has affected our lives. Is the food on our shelves free of genetically engineered ingredients? How much power do food corporations wield? Andy Rees provides the answers. He shows that, while corporations that produce genetically modified food have met with resistance in Europe, their hold on the US market is strong. They're also expanding operations in less-regulated countries in Africa, Asia and the former Soviet bloc. The US has launched a legal suit to attempt to force the European market open to genetically modified food. What does the future hold? This brilliantly readable book tells us all we need to know.

This volume studies the risk to the environment and human health posed by nitroPAHS. Data on the in vivo genotoxicity of nitroPAHs are available for 15 nitroPAHs. All nitroPAHs that gave positive results in vivo were also positive in vitro. Four nitroPAHs that were positive in in vitro genotoxicity tests revealed inconsistent or inconclusive genotoxicity (2-nitronaphthalene, 5-nitroacenaphthene and 3-nitrofluoranthene) or negative genotoxicity (2,7-dinitrofluorene; limited validity) results in vivo. There are no reports on the effects of individual nitroPAHs on humans. As would be expected, since nitroPAHs occur in complex mixtures in the atmosphere and exhaust, the exact contribution of nitroPAHs to the adverse health consequences of exposure to polluted atmospheres and to exhaust cannot be elucidated.

Palladium is a steel-white, ductile metallic element resembling and occurring with the other platinum group metals and nickel. Palladium and its alloys are used in the (petro) chemical and the automotive industries as catalysts, in dentistry, and in electronics and the, electrical industry.This book evaluates the risks to human health and the environment posed by exposures to palladium. The general population is primarily exposed to palladium through dental alloys or jewellery. There were case reports referring to palladium sensitivity associated with exposure to palladium-containing dental restorations; the, symptoms being contact dermatitis, stomatitis or mucositis and oral lichen planus.Palladium ions are considered to be highly toxic to aquatic organisms. However, due to palladium's high economic value, emissions of palladium from point sources are currently minimal. Increased use of catalytic converters may increase palladium emissions from diffuse sources. It was recommended that these emissions should, be controlled to be as low as possible.

This book evaluates the risk to human health and the environment posed by exposures to fluorides. It is widely known that fluoride has both positive and negative effects on human health, and there is a narrow range between intakes that are associated with these effects. Cases of skeletal fluorosis associated with the consumption of drinking water containing elevated levels of fluoride are reported. Fluoride is ubiquitous in the environment and virtually all foodstuffs contain at least trace amounts of fluoride. The amount of fluoride present naturally in non-fluoridated drinking water is highly variable, being dependent upon the individual geological environment. Also, fluorides, especially hydrogen fluoride, are important industrial compounds and they are used in aluminium production, glass manufacturing and so on. This document focuses on environmental exposure to fluoride derived mostly from inorganic sources and its effects on humans, animals and other biota.Data on hydrogen fluoride, calcium fluoride, sodium fluoride, sulfur hexafluoride and silicofluorides are covered, as these compounds are considered to be the most relevant of the inorganic fluorides on the basis of quantities released to the environment, environmental concentrations and toxicological effects on living organisms. A review of studies on the environmental fate and concentration of fluorides is also presented in this document.

AN ESSENTIAL CONVERSATION FROM TODAY'S LEADING VOICES ON EFFECTING CHANGE IN HEALTH AND SOCIETY "The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has changed the conversation about health in the United States." -Jo Ivey Boufford, President, New York Academy of Medicine In a society where a person's zip code is a stronger predictor of health status than their genetic profile, every public health challenge is also a challenge of equity, implementation, and policy. For better or worse, improving health requires societal change, and the scale of today's societal challenges can have a stifling effect on even the most well-intended efforts. Assembled by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and featuring today's most prominent voices from diverse sectors, Knowledge to Action is a collection of short conversations focused on the idea of meaningful change - its definition, its impediments, and exploring how we can transition from research to action in health, well-being, and equity. Steeped in honesty and benefiting from the diverse experiences of an extraordinary assembly of academics, journalists, policymakers, public health practitioners, and researchers, this book offers provocative yet actionable perspectives that will benefit anyone who reads it.