Environmental Health, Third Edition

Abstract

The primary objectives in preparing this third edition were to incorporate new developments in the field and to add coverage of subject areas not previously included, such as environmental economics, terrorism, and ecosystems. As part of this effort, every chapter has been extensively revised and rewritten. In preparation for this effort, more than 1,000 articles and reports published during the 7 years since issuance of the second edition were reviewed and digested, and their salient features were incorporated into the text. These included articles published in scientific journals, as well as timely articles published in other well-respected publications. In some cases, such as the presentation of a preview of the revised simplified approach for explaining radiation protection standards to the public that is being developed by the International Commission on Radiological Protection, readers are being provided with information that will not be officially released until 2005. Another example is the inclusion of the guidelines that are anticipated to be provided in the revised “food pyramid” to be issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.