The trajectories of pollution in global capitalism, from the toxic waste of early tanneries to the poisonous effects of pesticides in the twentieth century. Through the centuries, the march of economic progress has been accompanied by the spread of industrial pollution. As our capacities for production and our aptitude for consumption have increased, so have their byproducts--chemical contamination from fertilizers and pesticides, diesel emissions, oil spills, a vast "plastic continent" found floating in the ocean. The Contamination of the Earth offers a social and political history of industrial pollution, mapping its trajectories over three centuries, from the toxic wastes of early tanneries to the fossil fuel energy regime of the twentieth century.
In the early 1980s, two water-supply systems on the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina were found to be contaminated with the industrial solvents trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE). The water systems were supplied by the Tarawa Terrace and Hadnot Point watertreatment plants, which served enlisted-family housing, barracks for unmarried service personnel, base administrative offices, schools, and recreational areas. The Hadnot Point water system also served the base hospital and an industrial area and supplied water to housing on the Holcomb Boulevard water system (full-time until 1972 and periodically thereafter). This book examines what is known about the contamination of the water supplies at Camp Lejeune and whether the contamination can be linked to any adverse health outcomes in former residents and workers at the base.
Surface contamination is of cardinal importance in a host of technologies and industries, ranging from microelectronics to optics to automotive to biomedical. Thus, the need to understand the causes of surface contamination and their removal is very patent. Generally speaking, there are two broad categories of surface contaminants: film-type and particulates. In the world of shrinking dimensions, such as the ever-decreasing size of microelectronic devices, there is an intensified need to understand the behavior of nanoscale particles and to devise ways to remove them to an acceptable level. Particles which were functionally innocuous a few years ago are ôkiller defectsö today, with serious implications for yield and reliability of the components. This book addresses the sources, detection, characterization and removal of both kinds of contaminants, as well as ways to prevent surfaces from being contaminated. A number of techniques to monitor the level of cleanliness are also discussed. Special emphasis is placed on the behaviour of nanoscale particles. The book is amply referenced and profusely illustrated.• Excellent reference for a host of technologies and industries ranging from microelectronics to optics to automotive to biomedical.• A single source document addressing everything from the sources of contamination to their removal and prevention.• Amply referenced and profusely illustrated.
Arsenic Contamination in the World: an International Sourcebook provides a global compendium of cited arsenic occurrences in the world as they affect public health. This book details arsenic contamination by source, region and arsenic-affected country. Arsenic is identified in 105 countries and territories, representing a larger database than any previous published work. Sources of arsenic contamination are categorized as Anthropogenic, Geogenic, Volcanogenic, Coal, Mining and Petroleum-related. National, regional and international maps locate the affected areas and populations. A synthesis of critical country information includes an estimate of the exposed population of 226 million people worldwide. This reference work is an indispensable tool for medical doctors, public health workers, scientists, water experts, governments, industries, non-profit organizations and communities in identifying site-specific arsenic contamination. An extensive bibliography of peer-reviewed literature gives the reader important arsenic contamination locations as the first step towards remediation. This Sourcebook is updatable via an on-line annex which provides up-to-date information on new arsenic occurrences and developments. We invite readers to participate in updating this database at: http://www.iwawaterwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Articles/ExecutiveSummaryofArsenicContaminationintheWorld By synthesizing the known occurrences of arsenic world-wide, this reference book offers an essential tool for understanding and addressing the global arsenic geological-public health interface. Discounted ebook price available for customers from Developing Countries. Please contact [email protected] if you wish to purchase an ebook from a developing country @ £50.00 (PDF format). Author: Susan Murcott, Senior Lecturer, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA Table of Contents: Executive Summary, African Region, Region of the Americas, Asia Region, European Region, Region of Australia and Oceania.
Chemical Contaminants and Residues in Food, Second Edition is an invaluable tool for all industrial and academic researchers involved with food safety, from industry professionals responsible for producing safe food, to chemical analysts involved in testing the final products. This updated edition is expanded to cover the latest research and emerging issues, and has additional information useful for food safety testing. Written by an international team of expert contributors, this edition explores the entire food chain, acting as a roadmap for further research. - Includes expanded coverage on risk assessment and testing technologies - Presents fully updated chapters to provide the most up-to-date information in research on food chemical safety - Provides new information on hot topic areas, such as food additives, mycotoxins, nanomaterials and food contact materials
The use of drugs in food animal production has resulted in benefits throughout the food industry; however, their use has also raised public health safety concerns. The Use of Drugs in Food Animals provides an overview of why and how drugs are used in the major food-producing animal industriesâ€"poultry, dairy, beef, swine, and aquaculture. The volume discusses the prevalence of human pathogens in foods of animal origin. It also addresses the transfer of resistance in animal microbes to human pathogens and the resulting risk of human disease. The committee offers analysis and insight into these areas: Monitoring of drug residues. The book provides a brief overview of how the FDA and USDA monitor drug residues in foods of animal origin and describes quality assurance programs initiated by the poultry, dairy, beef, and swine industries. Antibiotic resistance. The committee reports what is known about this controversial problem and its potential effect on human health. The volume also looks at how drug use may be minimized with new approaches in genetics, nutrition, and animal management.
Health Care and Environmental Contamination provides a comprehensive explanation of new and evolving topics in the field, including discussions on emissions from pharmaceutical manufacturing, disposal of medical wastes, inputs from sewerage systems, effects on aquatic organisms and wildlife, indirect effects on human health, antibiotic resistance, stewardship, and treatment. These important issues affect the natural environment, making this first book on the topic a must have for comprehensive, broad, and up-to-date coverage of these issues.
Emerging Contaminants in the Environment: Challenges and Sustainable Practices covers all aspects of emerging contaminants in the environment, from basic understanding to different types of emerging contaminants and how these threaten organisms, their environmental fate studies, detection methods, and sustainable practices of dealing with contaminants. Emerging contaminant remediation is a pressing need due to the ever-increasing pollution in the environment, and it has gained a lot of scientific and public attention due to its high effectiveness and sustainability. The discussions in the book on the bioremediation of these contaminants are covered from the perspective of proven technologies and practices through case studies and real-world data. One of the main benefits of this book is that it summarizes future challenges and sustainable solutions. It can, therefore, become an effective guide to the elimination (through sustainable practices) of emerging contaminants. At the back of these explorations on sustainable bioremediation of emerging contaminants lies the set of 17 goals articulated by the United Nations in its 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all its member states. This book provides academics, researchers, students, and practitioners interested in the detection and elimination of emerging contaminants from the environment, with the latest advances by leading experts in emerging contaminants the field of environmental sciences. - Covers most aspects of the most predominant emerging contaminants in the environment, including in soil, air, and water - Describes the occurrence of these contaminants, the problems they cause, and the sustainable practices to deal with the contaminants - Includes data from case studies to provide real-world examples of sustainable practices and emerging contaminant remediation
An investigation into the dangers of the chemicals present in our daily lives, along with practical advice for reducing these toxins in our bodies and homes, from acclaimed journalist McKay Jenkins. A few years ago, journalism professor McKay Jenkins went in for a routine medical exam. What doctors found was not routine at all: a tumor, the size of a navel orange, was lurking in his abdomen. When Jenkins returned to the hospital to have the tumor removed, he was visited by a couple of researchers with clipboards. They had some questions for him. Odd questions. How much exposure had he had to toxic chemicals and other contaminants? Asbestos dust? Vinyl chlorine? Pesticides? A million questions, all about seemingly obscure chemicals. Jenkins, an exercise nut and an enviro-conscious, organic-garden kind of guy, suddenly realized he’d spent his life marinating in toxic stuff, from his wall-to-wall carpeting, to his dryer sheets, to his drinking water. And from the moment he left the hospital, he resolved to discover the truth about chemicals and the “healthy” levels of exposure we encounter each day as Americans. Jenkins spent the next two years digging, exploring five frontiers of toxic exposure—the body, the home, the drinking water, the lawn, and the local box store—and asking how we allowed ourselves to get to this point. He soon learned that the giants of the chemical industry operate virtually unchecked, and a parent has almost no way of finding out what the toy her child is putting in his or her mouth is made of. Most important, though, Jenkins wanted to know what we can do to turn things around. Though toxins may be present in products we all use every day—from ant spray, perfume, and grass seed to shower curtains and, yes, baby shampoo—there are ways to lessen our exposure. ContamiNation is an eye-opening report from the front lines of consumer advocacy.
This text addresses the scientific and engineering aspects of subsurface contaminant transport, analysis, and modeling as well as remediation in ground water. It offers a modern engineering approach to ground water contamination problems of the nineties and beyond.
