Protección de las nuevas instalaciones de salud frente a desastres naturales presenta un resumen de esas guías e incluye recomendaciones para promover su uso en la Región entre autoridades nacionales, planificadores y financiadores involucrados en el desarrollo de estos proyectos. Permite un acercamiento rápido y directo para comprender los beneficios sociales y económicos de la aplicación de medidas de mitigación en los procesos de diseño, planificación y construcción de instalaciones de salud y sobre todo, para saber cómo aplicarlas con el objetivo de alcanzar niveles de protección capaces, no sólo de garantizar la seguridad de las personas, sino la seguridad de la infraestructura y de la operación de los servicios.

Examina los conceptos relativos a las caracteristicas de los desastres y en particular de la amenaza y el riesgo sismico. Versa sobre aspectos generales relativos al analisis y diseno estructural de edificaciones hospitalarias. Se revisan los criterios que gobiernan el diseno, como la probabilidad de ocurrencia, la absorcion de energia, el riesgo aceptable, la seguridad funcional, asi como los mecanismos de aislamiento de edificios y control de vibraciones e los aspectos que hacen vulnerables las edificaciones hospitalarias (AU).

More than 50 million Americans, one out of five, suffer from hay fever, asthma, and other allergic diseases. Many of these conditions are caused by exposure to allergens in indoor environments such as the house, work, and schoolâ€"where we spend as much as 98 percent of our time. Developed by medical, public health, and engineering professionals working together, this unique volume summarizes what is known about indoor allergens, how they affect human health, the magnitude of their effect on various populations, and how they can be controlled. The book addresses controversies, recommends research directions, and suggests how to assist and educate allergy patients, as well as professionals. Indoor Allergens presents a wealth of information about common indoor allergens and their varying effects, from significant hay fever to life-threatening asthma. The volume discusses sources of allergens, from fungi and dust mites to allergenic chemicals, plants, and animals, and examines practical measures for their control. Indoor Allergens discusses how the human airway and immune system respond to inhaled allergens and assesses patient testing methods, covering the importance of the patient's medical history and outlining procedures and approaches to interpretation for skin tests, in vitro diagnostic tests, and tests of patients' pulmonary function. This comprehensive and practical volume will be important to allergists and other health care providers; public health professionals; specialists in building design, construction, and maintenance; faculty and students in public health; and interested allergy patients.

Almost all homes, apartments, and commercial buildings will experience leaks, flooding, or other forms of excessive indoor dampness at some point. Not only is excessive dampness a health problem by itself, it also contributes to several other potentially problematic types of situations. Molds and other microbial agents favor damp indoor environments, and excess moisture may initiate the release of chemical emissions from damaged building materials and furnishings. This new book from the Institute of Medicine examines the health impact of exposures resulting from damp indoor environments and offers recommendations for public health interventions. Damp Indoor Spaces and Health covers a broad range of topics. The book not only examines the relationship between damp or moldy indoor environments and adverse health outcomes but also discusses how and where buildings get wet, how dampness influences microbial growth and chemical emissions, ways to prevent and remediate dampness, and elements of a public health response to the issues. A comprehensive literature review finds sufficient evidence of an association between damp indoor environments and some upper respiratory tract symptoms, coughing, wheezing, and asthma symptoms in sensitized persons. This important book will be of interest to a wide-ranging audience of science, health, engineering, and building professionals, government officials, and members of the public.