Environmental Toxicology : Biological and Health Effects of Pollutants, Second Edition

An Indispensable Reference of Air, Soil, and Water Pollutants This second edition of Environmental Toxicology focuses on the biological and health effects toxins have on living organisms. It also stresses the relationship between human activity and the environment, relating changes in the environment with the changing patterns of human diseases, and exploring the parallels between developing economies and pollution-related health problems. The book deals with a large number of environmental toxicants, discussing their damage process, metabolism (biotransformation), and metabolism, toxicants and their damage process, and environmental, biological, and nutritional factors that may influence toxicity. It also describes several natural defense systems and the mechanisms for detoxification, including endogenous antioxidants and free radical scavenging enzymes on a cellular level. The book continues its comprehensive analysis of EPA Criteria Air Pollutants (SO2, NO2, O3, CO, particulate matter), and volatile organic compounds, as well as soil and water pollution, and expands the chapters on fluoride, environmental metals and metalloid (lead, cadmium, mercury, nickel, and arsenic), pesticides and related material such as PCBs and dioxins, and their relationship with endocrine disruption (a new chapter) and environmental cancer, offering more insight on the interaction of various chemical agents with DNA. Based on research from nearly 30 years of teaching environmental toxicology and related courses, the author concludes this text with an introduction to ecological risk assessment and its role in regulation and policymaking. Introduction Environmental change and health Occurrence of toxicants Toxic action of pollutants Factors affecting xenobiotic action Biotransformation : metabolism of xenobiotics Defense responses to toxicants Air pollution : inorganic gases Air pollution : particulate matter Environmental fluoride Volatile organic compounds Soil and water pollution : environmental metals and metalloids Pesticides and related materials Endocrine disruption Mutagenic pollutants Environmental cancer Ecological risk assessment Appendix 1. Glossary Appendix 2. PCB nomenclature Appendix 3. Carcinogens listed in the Tenth Report on Carcinogens, 2002 Appendix 4. A case study : United Heckathorn assessment. "This second edition of Environmental Toxicology focuses on the biological and health effects of environmental toxicants on living organisms, stressing the relationship between human activities and the environment, and environmental changes in relation to changing patterns of human diseases. The book discusses metabolism, toxicants and their damage process, and environmental, biological, and nutritional factors that may influence toxicity, as well as several natural defense systems including the mechanisms for detoxification - such as endogenous antioxidants and free radical scavenging enzymes - on a cellular level."--BOOK JACKET This second edition of Environmental Toxicology includes a new subtitle, Biological and Health Effects of Pollutants to emphasize the focus on organisms rather than ecosystems. The new edition includes a new chapter on endocrine disruptors and expands the chapters on environmental metals and metalloids and environmental cancer. The book deals with a large number of environmental toxicants, discussing not only their toxicological effects, but also their biological effects and mechanisms of action. It also discusses toxic effects on plants and in presenting the interactions of several nutrients
This revised and expanded second edition examines the sources, chemistry and effects of environmental toxicants in animals, plants and humans and includes case studies and examples of environmental disasters.