Poisonous Plant Contamination of Edible Plants discusses the chemical and toxicological aspects of poisonous plants that frequently contaminate edible plants, such as grains and vegetables, thereby causing toxicity in humans. Topics covered include hepatotoxic plant contamination; cyanogenic plant contamination; contamination of edible plants by poisonous ones; chemical constituents; pharmacological and toxicological data; and the botanical characteristics of toxic plants. Botanists, food researchers, horticulturalists, and others interested in the contamination of edible plants by poisonous plants will find this book a valuable source of information.

If people knew how many poisonous plants are commonly found in homes and gardens, they'd be shocked. Plants as common as monkshood, castorbean, and oleander are not just dangerous, they're deadly. The North American Guide to Common Poisonous Plants and Mushrooms is a comprehensive, easy-to-use handbook. The book is split into four main categories: mushrooms, wild plants, ornamental and crop plants, and houseplants. Each plant entry includes a clear photograph to aid the task of identification, a description of the plant, notes on where they commonly occur, and a description of their toxic properties. Plants are listed by common name to assist the non-specialist.

Investigators have long recognized the importance of certain elements, commonly called "minerals," in the diet of humans and animals and in the soil that supports plants, in that these elements are essential for the life or optimum health of the organisms. Deficiencies of 20 to 24 elements in animals and man and of 13 to 18 elements in plants have been recognized. At the same time, an understanding of the responses of these organisms to the insult of toxic concentrations of these and other elements also has been of interest. More recently, concern has arisen regarding the effects of an organism's exposure to the more subtle chronic and subchronic concentrations of certain elements that industrial and other human activities are releasing into the environment.

Because our chemical environment affects our physical and mental well-being, it is a matter of increasing concern and is therefore attracting much research effort. This timely collection of essays highlights current developments in the field of environmental toxicology. Chapters analyze the carcinogenic, mutagenic, genotoxic, and neurotoxic effects of both anthropogenic and natural toxins in the soil, air, and water around us, as well as in our workplace and diet. The book also examines the effects of toxins on other organisms, as well as the techniques, policies, and management strategies employed in studying and controlling environmental pollutants. It will be an essential reference to a variety of personnel in environmental studies and public health.