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.

An Introduction to Environmental Toxicology Second Edition, like the first (student) edition, provides a general introductory text on the basic concepts of and general principles for environmental toxicology. To this end, the book is organized into 23 chapters in four parts: I. Toxicologic Concepts and Environmental Concerns (Chapters 1 - 5);II. Bioaccumulation and Biodisposition of Toxicants (Chapters 6 - 10);III. Nature and Effects of Environmental Toxicants (Chapters 11 - 17); andIV. General Considerations and Special Foci (Chapters 18 - 23). The book is an introduction to the basic principles, concepts, and issues for and of environmental toxicology intended for undergraduates majoring in environmental toxicology, environmental sciences, or a related field, as well as for graduate students taking a course in environmental toxicology as an elective. The book is also intended as a supplementary reading material for students whose instructor prefers to use her/his own lecture notes as text materials for their course. Students using this book are expected to have already completed a course in general biology and a course in general chemistry. The book is written as a primer covering lecture materials for a course of 3 to 6 semester units. The 23 chapters, totaling more than 450 pages, are arranged in a way that the reader is provided with the best flow and mode of comprehension, with each chapter including a set of review questions. Listed below are the chapter titles: 1. Scope and Principles for Environmental Toxicology 2. Environmental Changes and Environmental Health 3. Environmental Pollution and Regulatory Agencies 4. Occurrence and Types of Environmental Toxicants 5. Fate and Transport of Toxicants in the Environment 6. Bioaccumulation of Persistent Environmental Toxicants 7. Uptake and Distribution of Toxicants 8. Metabolism/Biotransformation of Xenobiotics 9. Adverse Action/Toxic Response10. Factors and Conditions Affecting Toxicity11. Air Pollutants - I. Inorganic Gases12. Air Pollutants - II. Particulate Matter13. Volatile Organic Compounds14. Toxic and Radioactive Metals15. Pesticides and Pesticide Residues16. Persistent Toxic Substances17. Biological and Physical Toxic Agents18. Environmental Mutagenesis/Carcinogenesis19. Reproductive Toxicity and Endocrine Disruption20. Industrial Chemicals/Occupational Toxicology21. Food Toxicants/Toxic Household Substances22. Human Health Aspects of Ecotoxicology23. Environmental Health 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.

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 provides a detailed, comprehensive introduction to this key area of sustainability and public health research. The broad coverage includes sections on ecological risk assessment, monitoring, mechanisms, fate and transport, prevention, and correctives, as well as treatment of the health effects of solar radiation and toxicology in the ocean. The 23 state-of-the-art chapters provide a multi-disciplinary perspective on this vital area, which encompasses environmental science, biology, chemistry, and public health.

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.