The Poisoners is a history of four devastating chapters in the making of the region, seen through the disturbing use of toxins and accusations of poisoning circulated by soldiers, spies, and politicians in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Imraan Coovadia’s fascinating new book exposes the secret use of poisons and diseases in the Rhodesian bush war and independent Zimbabwe, and the apparent connection to the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States; the enquiry into the chemical and biological warfare programme in South Africa known as Project Coast, discovered through the arrest and failed prosecution of Dr Wouter Basson; the use of toxic compounds such as Virodene to treat patients at the height of the Aids epidemic in South Africa, and the insistence of the government that proven therapies like Nevirapine, which could have saved hundreds of thousands of lives, were in fact poisons; and the history of poisoning and accusations of poisoning in the modern history of the African National Congress, from its guerrilla camps in Angola to Jacob Zuma’s suggestion that his fourth wife collaborated with a foreign intelligence agency to have him murdered.

But The Poisoners is not merely a book of history. It is also a meditation, by a most perceptive commentator, on the meaning of race, on the unhappy history of black and white in southern Africa, and on the nature of good and evil.

Chirality as an environmental phenomenon was dealt with in a thorough and interesting manner in a series of three symposia entitled "Modern Chiral Pesticides: Enantioselectivity and Its Consequences," sponsored by the Agrochemical Division of the American Chemical Society and held in Washington, DC (2005), Boston, MA (2007) and San Francisco, CA (2010). All three symposia included speakers from industry, government and academia, representing several European countries, China, and the United States. Corresponding to this broad group of countries, institutions and speakers, the range of topics touched on almost all facets of chirality as it is manifested in environmental and human exposure and toxicity. The 40 oral and 20 poster presentations indeed approached comprehensive coverage: analysis of enantiomers and other stereoisomers; preparative separation of enantiomers; stereoselective occurrences of chiral pesticides in environment soil and water and in wildlife and human tissues and fluids; stereoselective degradation and metabolism of chiral pesticides; and stereoselective toxicity.
This book is a result of manuscript contributions by some of the oral and poster presenters to the third symposium in 2010. In addition to symposium participants, invitations were extended to the environmental chiral chemistry community in general, including most of the speakers in the 2005 and 2007 symposia, in an attempt to attain good coverage of this rather broad topic. Thus, this ACS Symposium book will generate many new ideas from interested readers and inform them of useful techniques for experimental exploration of the somewhat exotic, but important, area of chiral chemistry of pesticides.

A combination of population growth, public health failures, environmental degradation and rapid global transportation has resulted in a world that is at increasing risk to vectorborne and other infectious diseases. A large percentage of emerging diseases are vectorborne and over one-third of the agents on the list of greatest concern from bioterrorism are vectorborne. Many of these diseases are viral that have no effective drug or vaccine treatments. Drug and insecticide resistance is now common and has greatly compromised our ability to provide effective and affordable control. Parasitic diseases, including malaria, leishmmaniasis and African trypanosomiasis are likewise increasing in many parts of the world. Control programs for onchocerciasis and to some extent filariasis are reducing the impact of these diseases, largely due to the availability of filaricides such as ivermectin. Chagas disease has also declined significantly through home improvements and indoor insecticide application against the domicilary kissing bug vectors.
Despite these gains, this tend has not been sustainable. Instead, infectious disease is now responsible for greater than 25% of all deaths and nearly 50% of premature deaths among those under 45 years of age, and 63% for children less than 4 years of age. A significant proportion of these deaths is attributed to vectorborne diseases, particularly from malaria ( 11%). Indeed, more that 1 million people are killed annually by malaria, about 3000 per day. It is estimated that 700,000 children under the age of 5 die of malaria and at least 300 million are ill due to malaria each year. In response, the American Institute of Medicine (2003) has called for a renewed effort to rebuild public health infrastructures needed to conduct disease surveillance and vector control programs and to increase research to provide improved pesticides and their use, new repellents, new biopestcides and biocontrol agents to augment pesticidal control, as well as novel strategies to interrupt pathogen transmission.
With these goals in mind, we convened the first vector control symposium as part of the scientific program of the 3rd Pan-Pacific Conference of Pesticide Science in 2003. Five years after (2008), we re-convened this expanded topic at the 4th Pan-Pacific Conference on Pesticide Science and the scientific presentations made over two days comprise this current volume, Advances in Human Vector Control. The book covers two major areas: 1) Current Status and Control Practices, covering malaria, dengue, Chagas, human lice, cockroach and house dust mite issues; and 2) Novel Approaches and Resistance Management of these diseases. Chapters are provided by internationally-recognized experts who are actively involved in vector control and management, providing an up to date summary of this critically important area of public health. The effective use of novel control strategies is stressed and the status of recently acquired genomic approaches is critically reviewed.

Neurotoxicity of Drugs of Abuse, Volume Eight provides carefully crafted reviews on the disruptive impact of drugs of abuse on the central nervous system. The neurotoxicity potential of several agents including marijuana, fentanyl, and ketamine are carefully reviewed, and their short-term and chronic effects are categorized. Pharmacokinetic profiles as well as mechanisms of action for these and other drugs of abuse such as alcohol and nicotine are also evaluated. The implications of short and long-term abuse for agents such as PCP are also characterized. The reader will come away with a fuller understanding of the adverse effects of drugs of abuse on the nervous system.

Occupational Neurotoxicology, Volume Seven covers neurotoxicants and exposures to a variety of hazards in the workplace and how they can affect nervous functions in different ways. Metals and organic compounds, both at high level acute exposure and long-term low-level exposure can affect motor functions, cognition, behavior and neurosensory functions. Sections cover Oil leakage in aircraft, aerotoxic syndrome, Organic solvents, WTC neurotoxicities, Environmental intolerance, Pesticides, Carbon monoxide, Mercury Neurotoxicity in Gold Miners, and the Current evolution of neurobehavioral methods.

The volume discusses novel issues associated with the neurotoxicity of select metals

With nanotechnology being a relatively new field, the questions regarding safety and ethics are steadily increasing with the development of the research. This book aims to give an overview on the ethics associated with employing nanoscience for products with everyday applications. The risks as well as the regulations are discussed, and an outlook for the future of nanoscience on a manufacturer's scale and for the society is provided. Ethics in nanotechnology is a valuable resource for, philosophers, academicians and scientist, as well as all other industry professionals and researchers who interact with emerging social and philosophical ethical issues on routine bases. It is especially for deep learners who are enthusiastic to apprehend the challenges related to nanotechnology and ethics in philosophical and social education. This book presents an overview of new and emerging nanotechnologies and their societal and ethical implications. It is meant for students, academics, scientists, engineers, policy makers, ethicist, philosophers and all stakeholders involved in the development and use of nanotechnology.

This volume is designed to impart the fundamental concepts in experimental pharmacology, research methodology and biostatistics. Through this book, the readers will learn about different methods involved in drug discovery, experimental animals and their care, equipments and the various bioassays used in experimental pharmacology. This book contains special sections on various drug screening methods involved in the evaluation of different body systems. Certain sections provide the healthcare professionals with the knowledge necessary to interpret clinical research articles, design clinical studies, and learn essential concepts in biostatistics in an expedient and concise manner. Basic principles and applications of simple analytical methods employed in drug analysis are well written under one section. It focuses on the basic and advanced laboratory techniques and also on computer simulated data, written extensively under the Biostatistics section. The methods used for drug analysis have been described in adequate detail with cross-references for further studies and comprehension. Overall, the book is designed systematically with four broad sections with extensive subdivisions for easy tracking, interpretation, and understanding.

Natural toxins form a major component of the molecular tools used increasingly frequently by the ever growing number of laboratories of various kinds. Evidence for this is provided not only by the increasing number of firms including such toxins in their catalogues but also by the large number of demands received by those who discover new toxins. Twenty chapters survey important aspects of toxin origin, their structure and molecular mechanism, and their cellular and pathogenic effects. In addition, the text provides comprehensive and specific methodology for the application of these toxins in the research laboratory. This begins with the description of the method of extraction, biochemical and pharmacological characterization, and assessment of purity, and continues with methods for chemical modification, e.g. labelling, and eventually describes applications in pharmacological studies in vivo and/or in vitro. The length of this book has been kept reasonable by concentrating on animal toxins,...

This addition to the Advances in Environmental Control Technology Series contains 23 chapters designed to provide an extensive overview and reference on human physiological responses to various forms of pollution.

This work provides rapid access to focused information on topics of Immunotoxicology not only for scientists and those dealing with laboratory aspects but also for lecturers and advanced students. Over 200 contributing authors - including many of the world's top specialists - have contributed full essays on all relevant topics, supplemented by keyword definitions of related terms. Full essays are structured uniformly to provide reader-friendly information on all aspects of Immunotoxicology, including methods of testing and analysis, characteristics of substances, the regulatory environment and the relevance of these to humans.

This volume provides an overview of the biochemical characterization, structure-function studies, proteomics, bioinformatics, molecular biology, transcriptomics and genomics of various spider species. The book also covers our current knowledge of venom components, toxins and their modes of action. The first section of Spider Venom includes contributions regarding the wide diversity of spider venom components and depicts some of their biological effects (antimicrobial, ion channel modulators, insecticides, this includes peptide and non-peptide toxins), and emphasizes spiders of public health importance. The second section covers transcriptomes, proteomes (and peptidomics), bioinformatics and molecular dynamics. The last section describes antimicrobial, insecticidal toxins, envenomation and the medical potential of spider venoms. Spider venoms are a great and extensive source of bioactive compounds, and as such form a boundless and bountiful area awaiting discovery. It is by virtue of dedicated scientists that new toxins are discovered and that new insights arise, leading the way towards the investigation of their pharmacological effects, and hopefully, as a consequence, arriving at the discovery of venom components as new drug candidates.

"Advances in Molecular Toxicology" features the latest advances in all of the subspecialties of the broad area of molecular toxicology. Toxicology is the study of poisons, and this series details the study of the molecular basis by which a vast array of agents encountered in the human environment and produced by the human body itself manifest themselves as toxins. Not strictly limited to documenting these examples, the series is also concerned with the complex web of chemical and biological events that give rise to toxin-induced symptoms and disease. The new technologies that are being harnessed to analyze and understand these events will also be reviewed by leading workers in the field.
"Advances in Molecular Toxicology" will report progress in all aspects of these rapidly evolving molecular aspects of toxicology with a view toward detailed elucidation of both progress on the molecular level and on advances in technological approaches employed.
* Cutting-edge reviews by leading workers in the discipline
* In-depth dissection of molecular aspects of interest to a broad range of scientists, physicians and any student in the allied disciplines
* Leading edge applications of technological innovations in chemistry, biochemistry and molecular medicine

Chemistry and Technology of Isocyanates Henri Ulrich Chemical Consultant, Guilford, USA The production of both mono- and diisocyanates is of ever increasing importance to the chemical industry. The annual global consumption of polyurethanes, derived from diisocyanates, has reached over six million metric tons. This book highlights the syntheses, reactions and the industrial importance of this group. Chemistry and Technology of Isocyanates:
* is the only comprehensive book on isocyanate chemistry and technology
* highlights the industrial applications of diisocyanates in the manufacture of flexible and rigid foams, elastomers, coatings and adhesives
* discusses ionomers used in water-based coatings, polymer networks and biomedical polymers
* reviews current and future environmental issues, including toxicity and safe handling of isocyanates, recycling of isocyanate derived polymers and monomers derived from natural products.
Chemistry and Technology of Isocyanates is invaluable to researchers and technologists of organic, polymer and biochemistry and all others working with polyurethanes and other isocyanate products.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology provides detailed review articles concerned with aspects of chemical contaminants, including pesticides, in the total environment with toxicological considerations and consequences. C.E. CASTRO: Environmental Dehalogenation-Chemistry and Mechanism M.J. KENNISH: Trace Metal-Sediment Dynamics in Estuaries: Pollution Assessment R.D. VINEBROOKE AND R. CULLIMORE: Natural Organic Matter and the Bound Water Concept in Aquatic Ecosystems

This book provides a comprehensive review of both traditional and cutting-edge methodologies that are currently used in computational toxicology and specifically features its application in regulatory decision making. The authors from various government agencies such as FDA, NCATS and NIEHS industry, and academic institutes share their real-world experience and discuss most current practices in computational toxicology and potential applications in regulatory science. Among the topics covered are molecular modeling and molecular dynamics simulations, machine learning methods for toxicity analysis, network-based approaches for the assessment of drug toxicity and toxicogenomic analyses. Offering a valuable reference guide to computational toxicology and potential applications in regulatory science, this book will appeal to chemists, toxicologists, drug discovery and development researchers as well as to regulatory scientists, government reviewers and graduate students interested in this field.

This collection discusses the variety of specific molecular reactions by means of which plants respond to physiological and toxic stress conditions. It focuses on the characterization of the molecular mechanisms that underlie the induction of toxicity and the triggered responses and resistances. The nine chapters, all written by prominent researchers, examine heavy metal toxicity, aluminum toxicity, arsenic toxicity, salt toxicity, drought stress, light stress, temperature stress, flood stress and UV-B stress. In addition, information on the fundamentals of stress responses and resistance mechanisms is provided. The book addresses researchers and students working in the fields of plant physiology and biochemistry.

The environment is prone to suffer pollution and toxic insult from generations of nanomaterials as well from accidental releases during production, transportation, and disposal operations. The NMs could interact with and cause adverse biological effects at cellular, subcellular, and molecular levels. Assessing potential environmental/ecological risks requires quality information on transport and fate of nanoparticles in the environment, exposures and vulnerabilities of organisms to the nanomaterials and standard methods for assessing toxicity for aquatic or terrestrial organisms and human health. The systematic risk characterization and evaluation of the safety of nanomaterials require a multidisciplinary approach and convergence of knowledge and efforts from researchers and experts from toxicology, biotechnology, materials science, chemistry, physics, engineering, and other branches of life sciences. Although studies are beginning to appear in the literature addressing the toxicity of various nanomaterials and their potential for exposure, at this stage definitive statements regarding the impacts of nanomaterials on human health and the environment remain sketchy requiring an increased level of precautions with regard to nanomaterials, as has happened with other emerging contaminants and technologies (e.g., biotechnology). The need for an increased level of understanding the perception of risk and of benefits will vary and is likely to influence public, regulatory, and non-governmental activities regarding risk and benefit evaluations. Systematic identification and assessment of the risks posed by any new technology are essential. A prudent, integrated, and holistic approach is required to develop best practices based on the scientific understanding about what we know and what we don't know but need to know. Nanomaterials addresses key issues of ecotoxicological actions and effects of nanomaterials on life and environment, their threats, vulnerability, risks, and public perception. The readers learn to read bad news objectively and think about and search for ecological 'green' solutions to current environmental and ecological problems with blue, grey, brown, and red shades for building a sustainable ecosystem. It shows how this molecular terrain is a common ground for interdisciplinary research and education that will be an essential component of science, engineering and technology in the future. The book is divided into three sections. Section I includes general topics related to ecotoxicity of nanomaterials to microbes, plants, human and environment. Section 2 incorporates risks generated by the use of nanomaterials. Section 3 discusss safety issues and the public.

Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology attempts to provide concise, critical reviews of timely advances, philosophy and significant areas of accomplished or needed endeavor in the total field of xenobiotics, in any segment of the environment, as well as toxicological implications.

Volume 11 provides in an authoritative and timely manner in 16 stimulating chapters, written by 40 internationally recognized experts from 11 nations, and supported by more than 2600 references, 35 tables, and over 100 illustrations, many in color, a most up-to-date view on the role of cadmium for life, presently a vibrant research area. MILS-11 covers the bioinorganic chemistry of Cd(II), its biogeochemistry, anthropogenic release into the environment, and speciation in the atmosphere, waters, soils, and sediments. The analytical tools for Cd determination, its imaging in cells, and the use of 113Cd NMR to probe Zn(II) and Ca(II) proteins are summarized, as are Cd(II) interactions with nucleotides, nucleic acids, amino acids, and proteins including metallothioneins. The phytoremediation by Cd(II)-accumulating plants, etc., the toxicology of Cd(II), its damage to mammalian organs, and its role as a carcinogen for humans, are highlighted.