Completely revised and updated with 18 new chapters, this second edition includes contributions from over 75 international experts. Also, a Technical Review Board reviewed all manuscripts for accuracy and currency. Focusing on toxic substance and how they affect the ecosystems worldwide, the book presents methods for quantifying and measuring ecotoxicological effects in the field and in the lab, as well as methods for estimating, predicting, and modeling in ecotoxicology studies. This is the definitive reference for students, researchers, consultants, and other professionals in the environmental sciences, toxicology, chemistry, biology, and ecology - in academia, industry, and government.

Volume 17, entitled Lead: Its Effects on Environment and Health of the series Metal Ions in Life Sciences centers on the interrelations between biosystems and lead. The book provides an up-to-date review of the bioinorganic chemistry of this metal and its ions; it covers the biogeochemistry of lead, its use (not only as gasoline additive) and anthropogenic release into the environment, its cycling and speciation in the atmosphere, in waters, soils, and sediments, and also in mammalian organs. The analytical tools to determine and to quantify this toxic element in blood, saliva, urine, hair, etc. are described. The properties of lead(II) complexes formed with amino acids, peptides, proteins (including metallothioneins), nucleobases, nucleotides, nucleic acids, and other ligands of biological relevance are summarized for the solid state and for aqueous solutions as well. All this is important for obtaining a coherent picture on the properties of lead, its effects on plants and toxic actions on mammalian organs. This and more is treated in an authoritative and timely manner in the 16 stimulating chapters of Volume 17, which are written by 36 internationally recognized experts from 13 nations. The impact of this recently again vibrant research area is manifested in nearly 2000 references, over 50 tables and more than 100 illustrations (half in color). Lead: Its Effects on Environment and Health is an essential resource for scientists working in the wide range from material sciences, inorganic biochemistry all the way through to medicine including the clinic ... not forgetting that it also provides excellent information for teaching.

Papers presented by noted researchers consider the occurrence, flux, compartmentalization, and residence times of four elements recognized as significant environmental pollutants. Examines data available on these pollutants and pinpoints areas in which further research is needed. The presence of these elements in all ecological environments--oceans, freshwater systems, soils, the atmosphere, etc.--and their regional occurrence around the globe are examined in detail, as are their sources and effects on plants, animals, and humans. Particular attention is paid to lead, which is the most prevalent pollutant and poses the greatest risk to human health, especially the health of children.

The United States is among the wealthiest nations in the world, but it is far from the healthiest. Although life expectancy and survival rates in the United States have improved dramatically over the past century, Americans live shorter lives and experience more injuries and illnesses than people in other high-income countries. The U.S. health disadvantage cannot be attributed solely to the adverse health status of racial or ethnic minorities or poor people: even highly advantaged Americans are in worse health than their counterparts in other, "peer" countries. In light of the new and growing evidence about the U.S. health disadvantage, the National Institutes of Health asked the National Research Council (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to convene a panel of experts to study the issue. The Panel on Understanding Cross-National Health Differences Among High-Income Countries examined whether the U.S. health disadvantage exists across the life span, considered potential explanations, and assessed the larger implications of the findings. U.S. Health in International Perspective presents detailed evidence on the issue, explores the possible explanations for the shorter and less healthy lives of Americans than those of people in comparable countries, and recommends actions by both government and nongovernment agencies and organizations to address the U.S. health disadvantage.

This book examines the way that lead enters the biosphere and the subsequent environmental impact. The contributing authors include international experts who provide methods for assessing and characterizing the ecological risk of lead contamination of soil and plants. Information is provided on the consequences for human health as a result of lead pollution. This book reveals that approximately 98% of stable lead in the atmosphere originates from human activities. Lead in Plants and the Environment reports on methods for detecting, measuring, and assessing the concentration of lead in plants. The authors provide a method for the measurement of 210Pb isotopes in plants. This method can be applied extensively in different environmental settings, not only as a way of revealing sources of lead, but also as a way to monitor lead transport in plants and animals that ingest them. The chapters include coverage on the following topics: · Lead bioavailability in the environment and its exposure and effects · Radioanalytical methods for detecting and identifying trace concentrations of lead in the environment · Lead contamination and its dynamics in soil plant systems · Lead pollution monitoring and remediation through terrestrial plants in mesocosm constructed wetlands · A review of phytoremediation of lead This book is a valuable resource to students, academics, researchers, and environmental professionals doing field work on lead contamination throughout the world.