Immunotoxicology Of Environmental And Occupational Metals

Provides an overview of the effects of environmentally and occupationally important metals on the immune system and host defence. The fist ten chapters in the text focus on particular metals or groups of metals, including arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, nickel and vanadium. Subsequent chapters examine the immunotoxicological effects of trace metals such as indium and platinum and essential metals such as iron, zinc and copper. The main emphasis is on the in vivo and in vitro effects of these metals on host immune responses in a variety of mammalian species including humans. Each chapter also briefly reviews the history, use, occurrence, biology and toxicology of the metals.

Considerable scientific and political interest has been expressed, parallelling public concern about the effects of chemicals on the immune system and the implications of those effects for health. Coupled with speculation about the magnitude and extent of the problem is discussion of needs for predictive testing and regulatory control measures. The first international seminar on the immunological system as a target for toxic damage was held in Luxembourg in 1984. It was organized by the International Programme on Chemical Safety (United Nations Environment Programme-International Labour Office World Health Organization) and the Commission of the European Communities with the support of the US Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (USA) and the participation of the International Society of Immunopharmacology. In view of the perceived importance of imrnunotoxicity, it was considered necessary to organize a follow-up meeting. Thus, an international workshop on the immunotoxicity of metals and immuno toxicology was held in Hanover, Federal Republic of Germany, on 6-10 November 1989.

Considerable scientific and political interest has been expressed, parallelling public concern about the effects of chemicals on the immune system and the implications of those effects for health. Coupled with speculation about the magnitude and extent of the problem is discussion of needs for predictive testing and regulatory control measures. The first international seminar on the immunological system as a target for toxic damage was held in Luxembourg in 1984. It was organized by the International Programme on Chemical Safety (United Nations Environment Programme-International Labour Office World Health Organization) and the Commission of the European Communities with the support of the US Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (USA) and the participation of the International Society of Immunopharmacology. In view of the perceived importance of imrnunotoxicity, it was considered necessary to organize a follow-up meeting. Thus, an international workshop on the immunotoxicity of metals and immuno toxicology was held in Hanover, Federal Republic of Germany, on 6-10 November 1989.

Highlighted in this compilation of papers is the role and importance of heavy metals in the environment. It provides up-to-date information in a field of active research and progress, where the focus is on effects and interactions between the environment and organisms, as well as contaminant dynamics. Several papers address the impact of heavy metals on our health. The influence of metals on plants is described in an exhaustive study on lichens, which have been widely used as biomonitors for environmental contamination by heavy metals. Metals are also accumulated by animals, as seen in a chapter which focusses on sediment/benthic organism interactions and biomonitoring in fish. Soil interactions are discussed, as well as regional studies of freshwater sediments and the marine environment. The final part of the book addresses a crucial problem: the management of stabilized municipal waste sludges. As a result, the most important and significant recent trends are included, emphasizing interactions with and impacts of heavy metals on humans, animals, plants and soils.

This text presents contemporary analytical techniques for the determination of heavy metals in air particles, water, soil and biological samples. It details experimental studies to reduce the occurance of disease, remediate contaminated sites and establish acceptable range of oral intakes (AROI) guidelines.

This new fifth edition of Information Resources in Toxicology offers a consolidated entry portal for the study, research, and practice of toxicology. Both volumes represents a unique, wide-ranging, curated, international, annotated bibliography, and directory of major resources in toxicology and allied fields such as environmental and occupational health, chemical safety, and risk assessment. The editors and authors are among the leaders of the profession sharing their cumulative wisdom in toxicology’s subdisciplines. This edition keeps pace with the digital world in directing and linking readers to relevant websites and other online tools. Due to the increasing size of the hardcopy publication, the current edition has been divided into two volumes to make it easier to handle and consult. Volume 1: Background, Resources, and Tools, arranged in 5 parts, begins with chapters on the science of toxicology, its history, and informatics framework in Part 1. Part 2 continues with chapters organized by more specific subject such as cancer, clinical toxicology, genetic toxicology, etc. The categorization of chapters by resource format, for example, journals and newsletters, technical reports, organizations constitutes Part 3. Part 4 further considers toxicology’s presence via the Internet, databases, and software tools. Among the miscellaneous topics in the concluding Part 5 are laws and regulations, professional education, grants and funding, and patents. Volume 2: The Global Arena offers contributed chapters focusing on the toxicology contributions of over 40 countries, followed by a glossary of toxicological terms and an appendix of popular quotations related to the field. The book, offered in both print and electronic formats, is carefully structured, indexed, and cross-referenced to enable users to easily find answers to their questions or serendipitously locate useful knowledge they were not originally aware they needed. Among the many timely topics receiving increased emphasis are disaster preparedness, nanotechnology, -omics, risk assessment, societal implications such as ethics and the precautionary principle, climate change, and children’s environmental health. Introductory chapters provide a backdrop to the science of toxicology, its history, the origin and status of toxicoinformatics, and starting points for identifying resources Offers an extensive array of chapters organized by subject, each highlighting resources such as journals, databases,organizations, and review articles Includes chapters with an emphasis on format such as government reports, general interest publications, blogs, and audiovisuals Explores recent internet trends, web-based databases, and software tools in a section on the online environment Concludes with a miscellany of special topics such as laws and regulations, chemical hazard communication resources, careers and professional education, K-12 resources, funding, poison control centers, and patents Paired with Volume Two, which focuses on global resources, this set offers the most comprehensive compendium of print, digital, and organizational resources in the toxicological sciences with over 120 chapters contributions by experts and leaders in the field