Evidence has accumulated that shows that the quality of indoor environments can affect the health and productivity of adults and children. One consequence is that a movement has emerged to promote the design of schools that have fewer adverse environmental effects. To examine the potential of such design for improving education, several private organizations asked the NRC to review and assess the health and productivity benefits of green schools. This report provides an analysis of the complexity of making such a determination; and an assessment of the potential human health and performance benefits of improvements in the building envelope, indoor air quality, lighting, and acoustical quality. The report also presents an assessment of the overall building condition and student achievement, and offers an analysis of and recommendations for planning and maintaining green schools including research considerations.
Health problems related to the environment have become a major source of concern all over the world. The health of the population depends upon good quality air, water, soil, food and many other factors. The aim of society is to establish measures that can eliminate or considerably reduce factors hazardous to the human environment to minimize the associated health risks. The ability to achieve these objectives is greatly dependant on the development of suitable experimental, modelling and interpretive techniques, which allow a balanced assessment of the risk involved as well as suggesting ways in which the situation can be improved.The interaction between environmental risk and health is often complex and can involve a variety of social, occupational and lifestyle factors. This emphasizes the importance of considering an interdisciplinary approach. Containing papers presented at the Fourth International Conference on The Impact of Environmental Factors on Health. The topics discussed will be of interest to a wide readership including health specialists in government and industry as well as researchers involved within the broad area of environmental health risk. Featured topics include: Risk Analysis; Air Pollution; Water quality issues; Electromagnetic Fields; Food contamination; Occupational Health; Remediation; Social and Economic Issues; Housing and Health; Radiation Fields; Education and Training; Accident and man-made risks.
Can LEDs keep you awake at night and damage your brain? Can special lighting help people with dementia? Find out how lighting (including daylighting) can affect the health of people in buildings?
While certain ecological problems associated with artificial night lighting are widely known-for instance, the disorientation of sea turtle hatchlings by beachfront lighting-the vast range of influences on all types of animals and plants is only beginning to be recognized. From nest choice and breeding success of birds to behavioral and physiological changes in salamanders, many organisms are seriously affected by human alterations in natural patterns of light and dark. Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting is the first book to consider the environmental effects of the intentional illumination of the night. It brings together leading scientists from around the world to review the state of knowledge on the subject and to describe specific effects that have been observed across a full range of taxonomic groups, including mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, fishes, invertebrates, and plants. Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting provides a scientific basis to begin addressing the challenge of conserving the nighttime environment. It cogently demonstrates the vital importance of this until-now neglected topic and is an essential new work for conservation planners, researchers, and anyone concerned with human impacts on the natural world.
The ability to see deeply affects how human beings perceive and interpret the world around them. For most people, eyesight is part of everyday communication, social activities, educational and professional pursuits, the care of others, and the maintenance of personal health, independence, and mobility. Functioning eyes and vision system can reduce an adult's risk of chronic health conditions, death, falls and injuries, social isolation, depression, and other psychological problems. In children, properly maintained eye and vision health contributes to a child's social development, academic achievement, and better health across the lifespan. The public generally recognizes its reliance on sight and fears its loss, but emphasis on eye and vision health, in general, has not been integrated into daily life to the same extent as other health promotion activities, such as teeth brushing; hand washing; physical and mental exercise; and various injury prevention behaviors. A larger population health approach is needed to engage a wide range of stakeholders in coordinated efforts that can sustain the scope of behavior change. The shaping of socioeconomic environments can eventually lead to new social norms that promote eye and vision health. Making Eye Health a Population Health Imperative: Vision for Tomorrow proposes a new population-centered framework to guide action and coordination among various, and sometimes competing, stakeholders in pursuit of improved eye and vision health and health equity in the United States. Building on the momentum of previous public health efforts, this report also introduces a model for action that highlights different levels of prevention activities across a range of stakeholders and provides specific examples of how population health strategies can be translated into cohesive areas for action at federal, state, and local levels.
The new edition of the popular introduction to architectural lighting design, covering all stages of the lighting design process Designing with Light: The Art, Science, and Practice of Architectural Lighting Design, Second Edition, provides students and professionals alike with comprehensive understanding of the use of lighting to define and enhance a space. This accessible, highly practical textbook covers topics such as the art and science of color, color rendering and appearance, lighting control systems, building codes and standards, and sustainability and energy conservation. Throughout the text, accomplished lighting designer and instructor Jason Livingston offers expert insights on the use of color, the interaction between light and materials, the relation between light, vision, and psychology, and more. Fully revised and updated throughout, the second edition features new chapters on design thinking, common lighting techniques, and lighting economics. Expanded sections on aesthetics, controlling LEDs, light, and health, designing with light, and color mixing luminaires are supported by new case studies, examples, and exercises. Featuring hundreds of high-quality color images and illustrations, Designing with Light: Provides systematic guidance on all aspects of the lighting design process Thoroughly covers color and light, including color perception, color rendering, and designing with colored light Explains the theory behind the practice of architectural lighting design Contains information on cost estimating, life cycle analysis, voluntary energy programs, and professional lighting design credentials Includes an instructor resource site with PowerPoint presentations, test questions, and suggested assignments for each chapter, and also a student site with flashcards, self-evaluation tests, and helpful calculators. Designing with Light: The Art, Science, and Practice of Architectural Lighting Design, Second Edition is perfect for architecture, interior design, and electrical engineering programs that include courses on lighting design, as well as professionals looking for a thorough and up-to-date desk reference.
The New Public Health has established itself as a solid textbook throughout the world. Translated into 7 languages, this work distinguishes itself from other public health textbooks, which are either highly locally oriented or, if international, lack the specificity of local issues relevant to students' understanding of applied public health in their own setting. This 3e provides a unified approach to public health appropriate for all masters' level students and practitioners—specifically for courses in MPH programs, community health and preventive medicine programs, community health education programs, and community health nursing programs, as well as programs for other medical professionals such as pharmacy, physiotherapy, and other public health courses. - Changes in infectious and chronic disease epidemiology including vaccines, health promotion, human resources for health and health technology - Lessons from H1N1, pandemic threats, disease eradication, nutritional health - Trends of health systems and reforms and consequences of current economic crisis for health - Public health law, ethics, scientific d health technology advances and assessment - Global Health environment, Millennium Development Goals and international NGOs
