The Particulate Air Pollution Controversy
The Particulate Air Pollution Controversy

Author: Robert F. Phalen

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2007-05-08

Total Pages: 135

ISBN-13: 0306482088

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Small invisible particles in the urban air, especially those produced by human activities, have recently stimulated intense scrutiny, debate, regulation, and legal proceedings. The stakes are high, both with respect to health impacts and economic costs, and the methods used previously to resolve similar issues are no longer adequate. Everyone on earth inhales thousands to millions of particles in each breath, so if urban particulate air pollution—particulate matter (PM)—is significantly hazardous, the negative impact on health could be staggering. Yet the activities that generate PM, such as farming, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and generating electricity, are themselves essential to human health and welfare. Scientists, regulators, legislators, activists, judges, lawyers, journalists, and representatives of the business community are actively involved in addressing the question of what should be done. This complex issue presents opportunities for critically assessing the relevant knowledge and for adopting more rigorous approaches to this and similar problems. What is the PM controversy, and why is it a good case study for how science and public policy might better interface? The PM controversy is the sum of the frequently heated debates related to the potential health risks from urban PM.

The Lung
The Lung

Author: Kent Pinkerton

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2003-11-21

Total Pages: 427

ISBN-13: 0080481353

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This unique book provides a concise account, written by world authorities in their fields, of how the mammalian lung grows and matures before birth and how the lungs, and their ability to function well, can be affected by the environment and by genetic factors, both before and after birth. It provides an understanding of the basis of some major lung diseases affecting infants and children. The book also deals with how the lung changes with age, and how the process of lung aging can be affected by the environment.* Discusses the mechanisms that regulate the initial events of lung morphogenesis * Provides a better understanding of the cellular and biochemical events involved in alveolarization* Development of the pulmonary immune system and how the exposure to allergens during development may lead to diseases such as asthma

Environmental Toxicants
Environmental Toxicants

Author: Morton Lippmann

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2009-03-26

Total Pages: 1189

ISBN-13: 0470442883

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Provides the most current information and research available for performing risk assessments on exposed individuals and populations, giving guidance to public health authorities, primary care physicians, and industrial managers Reviews current knowledge on human exposure to selected chemical agents and physical factors in the ambient environment Updates and revises the previous edition, in light of current scientific literature and its significance to public health concerns Includes new chapters on: airline cabin exposures, arsenic, endocrine disruptors, and nanoparticles

Fine Particle (2.5 microns) Emissions
Fine Particle (2.5 microns) Emissions

Author: John D. McKenna

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2008-09-17

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 0470391316

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Research has shown that inhaling fine particles is a greater health risk than breathing larger particles. Title is "very timely...needed NOW," according to one reviewer Covers a "controversial" but important topic, for which there is a lack of literature and hence guidance for those professionals affected by it Covers legislative background and gives insight into regulatory and technical matters such as measurement and control of fine particle emissions Combines the practical, theoretical, and regulatory areas of fine particulate monitoring, with "reference to the regulated community" Written by a recognized authority with over 30 years of pollution control experience

Research Priorities for Airborne Particulate Matter
Research Priorities for Airborne Particulate Matter

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2004-10-22

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 0309166284

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In 1997, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established regulatory standards to address health risks posed by inhaling tiny particles from smoke, vehicle exhaust, and other sources. At the same time, Congress and the EPA began a multimillion dollar research effort to better understand the sources of these airborne particles, the levels of exposure to people, and the ways that these particles cause disease. To provide independent guidance to the EPA, Congress asked the National Research Council to study the relevant issues. The result was a series of four reports on the particulate-matter research program. The first two books offered a conceptual framework for a national research program, identified the 10 most critical research needs, and described the recommended timing and estimated costs of such research. The third volume began the task of assessing initial progress made in implementing the research program. This, the fourth and final volume, gauged research progress made over a 5-year period on each of the 10 research topics. The National Research Council concludes that particulate matter research has led to a better understanding of the health effects caused by tiny airborne particles. However, the EPA, in concert with other agencies, should continue research to reduce further uncertainties and inform long-term decisions.