Much of the more than 30 million tons of asbestos used in the United States since 1900 is still present as insulation in offices and schools, as vinyl-asbestos flooring in homes, and in other common products. This volume presents a comprehensive evaluation of the relation of these fibers to specific diseases and the extent of nonoccupational risks associated with them. It covers sources of asbestiform fibers, properties of the fibers, and carcinogenic and fibrogenic risks they pose.
Much of the more than 30 million tons of asbestos used in the United States since 1900 is still present as insulation in offices and schools, as vinyl-asbestos flooring in homes, and in other common products. This volume presents a comprehensive evaluation of the relation of these fibers to specific diseases and the extent of nonoccupational risks associated with them. It covers sources of asbestiform fibers, properties of the fibers, and carcinogenic and fibrogenic risks they pose.
Asbestos: Risk Assessment, Epidemiology, and Health Effects offers a key text on the evolving information regarding asbestos and human health. Now in its third edition, this bestseller explores the pathological complexities of asbestos-related disease and examines how asbestos induces diseases in biological systems. The book also discusses the types of instruments and methods available for evaluation of the content of asbestiform minerals in products, air, water, surface areas, and tissue. It explains the relevance of each of these applications and gives readers the tools to evaluate data in the future. Edited by leading authorities on the subject and with contributions from a team of international experts, this book takes a cross-disciplinary approach and an authoritative review of the history, pathology, epidemiology, sampling, and analysis of asbestos. Backed up with photos and numerous diagrams, tables, and photographs, it features case studies, methodologies, and sampling/analytical schemes that put learning into context. Fully up-to-date and featuring four brand new chapters covering asbestosis and immunity, asbestos litigation and surgical and non-surgical management of mesothelioma, this book remains the most comprehensive source of information on asbestos and the only guide the reader will ever need to own. This essential text will appeal to any professional at any level who requires the latest expertise in dealing with asbestos. It suits researchers and practitioners alike, as well as those in the fields of law, health, education, hospitality, emergency response, building management and maintenance, construction, safety, insurance, and industrial hygiene.
On January 3, 1977, Howell Township, New Jersey closed its schools while scientists tested for dangerous levels of asbestos. After reports of unexplained ailments in some children, the parents of 4,500 elementary school children had threatened to boycott classes until the Board of Education removed asbestos-containing materials. Similar cases occurred across the country. In February, 1977, the New York Times reported that the child whose illness had been attributed to asbestos actually had mononucleosis. Was the reaction of parents and officials unwarranted? Did scientific evidence exist indicating that asbestos in schools caused children to become ill? Was all the relevant information - including the impact of their decisions on public policy in the future - considered? Environmental Public Health Policy for Asbestos in Schools addresses these questions by focusing on the development, institutionalization, and consequences of federal environmental policy for asbestos in schools. This unique and timely book explores the history of asbestos in schools and buildings and how this issue shaped the development of public health policy. Insight into past policy, including how, why, and who caused action to be taken, will enlighten and guide the scientific and regulatory communities in the future. The story of asbestos is a cautionary tale. Other toxic agents, such as lead, nitrogen dioxide and radon, could follow the same model as asbestos, raising similar questions. Written in a straightforward style, Environmental Public Health Policy for Asbestos in Schools explains technical concepts in language easily understood by non-experts. Understanding the factors and judgments involved in this issue gives insight into how the government - and society - perceives, assesses, and develops public health policy.
What are the carcinogenic risks to the general population from environmental exposure to mineral fibers? The international contributors to this volume focus on this question, and offer the perspectives of different fields of investigation: industrial hygiene, toxicology, epidemiology, and the study of short- and long-term effects. The papers reflect the increasing concern over the potential hazard from exposure to asbestos and other fibers to individuals outside known danger areas such as industrial sites. Major emphasis is given to the problem of assessing effects of exposure to very low levels of airborn fibers and to the reliability of extrapolating risk estimates from a dose-response based on high levels of exposure. Contents include experimental data on the carcinogenic effects of mineral fibers and their mechanism of action, fiber level measurements in the lung and their correlation with air samples, methods of determining airborn levels, epidemiological data on the hazards of non-occupational exposure, and problems of risk evaluation.
The first edition of Asbestos: Risk Assessment, Epidemiology, and Health Effects received critical acclaim due to the interdisciplinary nature of its content. Editors Ronald Dodson and Samuel Hammar have carefully kept this popular focus while updating and expanding the topics covered in the first edition with the help of internationally known expe
