The identification of man-made environmental hazards to health : a manual of epidemiology

Environmental hazards to health are a matter of growing concern which is reflected in the amount of public debate about such issues as lead in petrol, dumping of nuclear waste and chemical tips. The identification of hazards is a huge problem for the medical services. This book summarises those hazards which are already identified, then shows how health workers can decide whether they have a statistically significant incidence of disease and how they can seek to establish causal relationships between particular hazards and diseases. The large number of areas where causal relationships are difficult to prove highlights the need for health workers to be aware of the type of methods outlined in this book. Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction: Health and Environmental Hazards....Pages 1-9 Types of Potential Environmental Health Hazards....Pages 10-33 Health Mechanisms and Outcomes....Pages 34-46 Epidemiological Methods and Data for the Identification of Man-made Environmental Hazards to Health....Pages 47-80 Chance or Not? Expected Levels and Statistical Significance....Pages 81-104 Environment or...? Establishing Causality....Pages 105-119 Policies, Probabilities and Proof....Pages 120-128 Back Matter....Pages 129-140