Chemical Exposure And Human Health

The National Human Monitoring Program (NHMP) identifies concentrations of specific chemicals in human tissues, including toxicologic testing and risk assessment determinations. This volume evaluates the current activities of the NHMP; identifies important scientific, technical, and programmatic issues; and makes recommendations regarding the design of the program and use of its products.

In fact, with the control and containment of most infectious conditions and diseases of the past millennium having been achieved in most developed countries, and with the resultant increase in life expectancies, much more attention seems to have shifted to degenerative health problems. Many of the degenerative health conditions have been linked to thousands of chemicals regularly encountered in human living and occupational/work environments. It is important, therefore, that human health risk assessments are undertaken on a consistent basis - in order to determine the potential impacts of the target chemicals on public health.

This book mainly focuses on advances made over the past 10 years regarding the exposure, metabolism, transformation, toxicity, molecular mechanism and biomarkers for emerging chemicals in humans. A hot topic in the field of environmental health, the term “emerging chemicals” refers to a class of compounds that are frequently encountered and potentially harmful to the natural environment and human health. They are also the preferred target substances for future environmental control measures. The list of emerging chemicals includes pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDC), persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and nanomaterials. However, the environmental and health hazard characteristics of many emerging chemicals remain unclear. The aim of this book is to stimulate further research in new directions by providing novel and provocative insights into the exposure assessment of and potential mechanisms regarding emerging chemicals in humans. It also offers a state-of-the-art report on recent discoveries concerning emerging chemicals and where the field is headed.

More than 100 professionals have contributed to this important book summarizing much of what is known about the issue of chemicals in the Great Lakes environment and the risks these chemicals pose to human health. The book makes significant recommendations for action in policy, communication, education, and research regarding the chemicals and their risks. The views of individuals from government, universities, industries, and public special interest groups in Canada and the United States have been integrated into a comprehensive statement that reflects scenarios that are applicable worldwide.

Guide to hazardous chemicals listing symptoms and diseases caused by them, sources of chemical exposures, a chemical directory, and organizations.

The environment is increasingly recognized as having a powerful effect on human and ecological health, as well as on specific types of human morbidity, mortality, and disability. While the public relies heavily on federal and state regulatory agencies for protection from exposures to hazardous substances, it often looks to health professionals for information about routes of exposure and the nature and extent of associated adverse health consequences. However, most health professionals acquire only a minimal knowledge of toxicology during their education and training. In 1967 the National Library of Medicine (NLM) created an information resource, known today as the Toxicology and Environmental Health Information Program (TEHIP). In 1995 the NLM asked the Institute of Medicine to examine the accessiblity and utility of the TEHIP databases for the work of health professionals. This resulting volume contains chapters on TEHIP and other toxicology and environmental health databases, on understanding the toxicology and environmental health information needs of health professionals, on increasing awareness of information resources through training and outreach, on accessing and navigating the TEHIP databases, and on program issues and future directions.

Introduction to Chemical Exposure and Risk Assessment focuses on the principles involved in assessing the risks from chemical exposure. These principles include the perception of risk, an understanding of how numbers are handled, and how chemicals affect health. The book briefly describes the major sinks, such as water and air, where chemicals are introduced. This is followed by a discussion on how concentrations are estimated and risk assessments are made. A discussion of risk benefit analysis and a presentation of several case studies using the principles for assessing risks are also included.

This book is a compilation of 29 chapters focused on: pesticides and food production, environmental effects of pesticides, and pesticides mobility, transport and fate. The first book section addresses the benefits of the pest control for crop protection and food supply increasing, and the associated risks of food contamination. The second book section is dedicated to the effects of pesticides on the non-target organisms and the environment such as: effects involving pollinators, effects on nutrient cycling in ecosystems, effects on soil erosion, structure and fertility, effects on water quality, and pesticides resistance development. The third book section furnishes numerous data contributing to the better understanding of the pesticides mobility, transport and fate. The addressed in this book issues should attract the public concern to support rational decisions to pesticides use.