Life support : the environment and human health / edited by Michael McCally.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

McCally, Michael.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Environmental health.

Public health--Environmental aspects.

Public health.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (327 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, c2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

A solutions-oriented examination of the connections between environmental degradation and human health.Life Support brings together the best medical information available on the implications for human health of the global environmental crisis. Written by prominent physicians and public health experts who see environmental degradation as a serious threat to public health, it provides essential information for health professionals, policymakers, concerned citizens, and environmental activists. The book, which is a sequel to the 1993 Critical Condition, covers a broad range of topics, including air and water pollution, population and consumption, climate change, ozone depletion, ultraviolet radiation, biodiversity loss, habitat destruction, war, and vulnerable populations (workers and children). It also discusses such controversial topics as environmental endocrine disruption and risk assessment. The focus is on solutions. Each chapter ends with specific recommendations for actions to solve particular environmental health problems. Underlying the book are three major themes: that the habitat is an important determinant of human health, that prevention of human illness must involve protection of the environment, and that well-informed physicians can and should communicate with the public and policymakers about environmental hazards.

Contents:

Intro

Contents

Preface

Contributors

1 - Environment, Health, and Risk

2 - Urban and Transboundary Air Pollution

3 - Water Quality and Water Resources

4 - Human Health and Heavy Metals Exposure

5 - Population, Consumption, and Human Health

6 - Global Climate Change and Health

7 - Species Loss and Ecosystem Disruption

8 - Ozone Depletion and Ultraviolet Radiation

9 - Environmental Endocrine Disruption

10 - Body Burdens of Industrial Chemicals in the General Population

11 - Cancer and the Environment

12 - Radiation and Health

13 - The Science of Risk Assessment

14 - The Precautionary Principle

15 - Vulnerable Populations

16 - War and the Environment

17 - Sustainable Health Care and Emerging Ethical Responsibilities

Index.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

OCLC-licensed vendor bibliographic record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0-262-27933-9

0-585-43670-3

OCLC:

614457349