Introduction To Environmental Toxicology

The rapidly evolving field of environmental toxicology involves the study of toxic compounds and their effect on living organisms, as well as their fate within the natural environment. Since publication of the first edition, Introduction to Environmental Toxicology has found a secure place among the major texts and references in this field. Introduction to Environmental Toxicology, Third Edition seamlessly covers processes and impacts from the molecular level all the way up to population levels. While retaining the strengths of previous editions, the third edition includes a new chapter on fluoride, an update on endocrine disruption, a discussion of the use of models to reconstruct concentration-response curves, expansion of the metals chapter, and new developments in ecological risk assessment for management decisions at site to regional scales. It is an ideal text for introducing students to the fields of ecotoxicology and risk assessment.

Introduction to Environmental Toxicology is designed as a concise text, introducing students to the fundamentals of this important subject. It covers the origin, characterization and environmental distribution of the major pollutants, and provides an explanation of their implications for human morbidity via the development of cancer, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary dysfunction and neurological conditions. Covering all the major biological toxins and pollutants, this book forms a true introduction to the subject for undergraduates studying environmental toxicology and related subjects.

The core content difference between this Fourth and the Third Edition is minimal. In addition to the correction of the typos found in the Third Edition, this Fourth Edition has made minor refinements but updated substantially the status and the discussion of numerous contemporary issues covered in this book. In particular, this Fourth Edition has highlighted a number of recent public health and regulatory concerns, including the global concerns with the recent pandemics of Zika as well as Ebola and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's ban on trans fats in all American processed foods by 2018. Moreover, it has updated the five persistent organic pollutants that the Stockholm Convention has added to its action list since the publication of this book's Third Edition in 2014. As three more update examples, this book is now current with the latest estimate data available concerning the annual amounts of pesticide active ingredients used in the United States and worldwide. It is now consistent with the International Agency for Research on Cancer's latest determinations made on the human carcinogenicity potential of the biological, physical, and chemical agents that the agency has analyzed. Furthermore, it is now up to date with the chemical elements included in the current periodic table. As with the earlier editions, this Fourth Edition offers an introductory text on the scope and principles for as well as the relevant topics of environmental toxicology. To this end, the book is organized into 23 chapters under four parts (sections) as listed below. PART I. TOXICOLOGIC CONCEPTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: (1) Scope and Principles for/of Environmental Toxicology; (2) Environmental Changes and Environmental Health; (3) Environmental Pollution and Regulatory Agencies; (4) Occurrence and Types of Environmental Toxicants; and (5) Fate and Transport of Toxicants in the Environment. PART II. BIOACCUMULATION AND BIODISPOSITION OF TOXICANTS: (6) Bioaccumulation of Persistent Environmental Toxicants; (7) Uptake, Distribution, and Excretion of Toxicants; (8) Metabolism/Biotransformation of Xenobiotics; (9) Adverse Action/Toxic Response; and (10) Factors and Conditions Affecting Toxicity. PART III. NATURE AND EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICANTS: (11) Air Pollutants - I: Inorganic Gases; (12) Air Pollutants - II: Particulate Matter; (13) Volatile Organic Compounds; (14) Toxic and Radioactive Metals; (15) Pesticides and Pesticide Residues; (16) Persistent Toxic Substances; and (17) Biological and Underrated Physical Toxic Agents. PART IV. SPECIAL TOPICS, ISSUES, CONSIDERATIONS, AND FOCI: (18) Environmental Mutagenesis/Carcinogenesis; (19) Reproductive Toxicity and Endocrine Disruption; (20) Occupational Toxicology/Workplace Hazards; (21) Food Toxicants and Toxic Household Substances; (22) Human Health Aspects of Ecotoxicology; and (23) Environmental Health Risk Assessment.

The rapidly evolving field of environmental toxicology involves the study of toxic compounds and their effect on living organisms, as well as their chemical and physical behavior and fate within the natural environment. Since publication of the first edition in December 1994, Introduction to Environmental Toxicology has found a secure place among the major texts and references in this field. The rapidly expanding base of knowledge regarding this discipline has made it necessary to update and revise this informative text. The second edition contains much of the information from the first edition, though the chapters have been enhanced and expanded. Critical new chapters concerning the latest issues in metal toxicity and the newly emerging area of multispecies toxicity tests have also been added. Also new to this second edition are sections describing new research being done on estrogen-like environmental toxins and endocrine disrupters, along with up-to-the-minute research findings on biomarkers, community conditioning, and biomonitoring assays. This comprehensive guide is an excellent reference for anyone involved in the field of environmental toxicology.

Introduction to environmental toxicology -- Frameworks and paradigms for environmental toxicology -- Overview of toxicity testing methods -- The analysis of exposure-response -- The fate and transport of contaminants -- Uptake and modes of action -- Modification in toxic responses, mixtures and climate change -- Inorganic gaseous pollutants -- Fluoride as a contaminant of developing economies -- Metals -- Biotransformation, detoxification, and biodegradation -- Ecological effects from biomarkers to populations -- Ecological effects: community to landscape scales of toxicological impacts -- Ecological risk assessment -- Index.

Environmental toxicology is the study of the action of chemicals upon ecosystems. Understanding the effects of exogenous chemicals upon the inhabitants of an ecosystem may enable us to predict and possibly prevent their deleterious effects. This textbook provides a good general introduction to all the major areas of environmental toxicology, including the fate of chemicals in the environment, environmental toxicity testing, risk assessment, radioactivity in the environment, legislation, environmental monitoring and the future impact of industrial development on the environment. It is written in an informal, accessible style with many examples of environmental issues taken from the author's personal experience and will provide students and other interested individuals with a broad overview of the science of environmental toxicology.

Basic Environmental Toxicology provides a thorough, systematic introduction to environmental toxicology and addresses many of the effects of pollutants on humans, animals, and the environment. Readers are introduced to the fundamentals of toxicology and ecotoxicology, the effects of different types of toxicants, and how toxicants affect different compartments of the environment. Fundamental aspects of environmental health, occupational health, detection of pollutants, and risk assessment are discussed. The book is excellent for anyone involved in risk assessment or risk management, toxicologists, state and local public health officials, environmental engineers, industrial managers, consultants, and students taking environmental toxicology courses.