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This book addresses comparisons between human-environmentalhealth and the health of the natural world by authors from severaldisciplines such as molecular biology, toxicology, ecology, riskassessment and risk perception, economics, psychology and literature.Because the subject of the book is necessarily multidisciplinary, theauthors have written their contributions with readers of otherdisciplines in mind. ... Read more

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A well-structured and comprehensive summary of the strategies and several case studies for applying molecular plant genomics in the fields of plant ecotoxicology and plant ecology. With an increasing number of plant genome projects now being completed, there arises the need to develop plant functional genomics. The book concentrates on ecological functions and relates molecular stress responses and signalling pathways to environmental interactions. This paves the way for uncovering new mechanisms of plant fitness, population dynamics and evolution, and new possibilities for plant breeding and sustainable agriculture. Topics covered include: definition and up-scaling of molecular ecotoxicology; signalling substances, enzymes and genes involved in defence against pathogens, xenobiotics, ozone, UV-B and further environmental stressors; and manipulation of plant signal transduction by soil bacteria.

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For the first time, here is a book that focuses on in vitro approaches to the study of the toxicology of polluting agents (including heavy metals, radionuclides, micro-organics, estrogenic compounds, and complex mixtures) in the aquatic environment. The importance of in vitro methods is that they allow standardised techniques to be developed and validated for substance and species specific experiments in a controlled way. Also, they allow mechanistic studies without the problems of individual variation between animals and environmental stress.

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Many industrialized and developing countries are faced with theassessment of potential risks associated with contaminated land. Avariety of human activities have left their impacts on soils in theform of elevated and locally high concentrations of potentialtoxicants. In several cases sources have not yet been stopped andcontamination continues. Decisions on the management of contaminatedsites and on the regulation of chemicals in the terrestrialenvironment require information on the extent to which toxicantsadversely affect the life support function of soils. Ecologicalinsights into the soil as an ecosystem may support such decisions.This book reviews the latest ecological principles that should beconsidered in this respect. ... Read more

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This landmark book, which contains contributions from the world's foremost mammalian ecotoxicologists, is a truly impressive summary of research undertaken in this field in recent years. It is also the first book to draw such information together in a seamless and unified approach.

In examining the exposure and effects of environmental contaminants in wild mammal populations, this book addresses four core questions:

• What exactly do we know about environmental contaminants in wild mammals?
• What are the commonalities and differences between mammal orders/species in the effects that contaminants have?
• How and to what degree of accuracy can we predict the adverse effects of environmental contaminants on mammalian wildlife?
• How significant are contaminant insults compared with other density-independent and -dependent factors such as habitat loss, climatic factors and disease?

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This book provides a quantitative treatment of the science of ecotoxicology. The first chapters consider fundamental concepts and definitions essential to understanding the fate and effects of toxicants at various levels of ecological organization as covered in the remaining chapters. Scientific ecotoxicology and associated topics are defined. The historical perspective, rationale, and characteristics are outlined for the strong inferential and quantitative approach advocated in this book. The general measurement process is discussed, and methodologies for defining and controlling variance, which could otherwise exclude valid conclusions regarding ecotoxicological endeavors, are considered.Ecotoxicological concepts at increasing levels of ecological organization are discussed in the second part of the book. Quantitative methods used to measure toxicant effects are outlined in this section. The final chapter summarizes the book with a brief discussion of ecotoxicological assessment. Numerous figures and tables accompany text, with many statistical tables found in the appendix for quick reference. Although the book primarily focuses on aquatic systems, with appropriate modification the concepts and methods can be applied to terrestrial systems. ... Read more

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This book provides a review and synthesis of the currentstate of information on the ecotoxicology of contaminants inamphibians and reptiles. Twenty-six leading scientists present 15chapters dealing with such topics as ecological, physiological, anddistributional considerations; responses and body burdens of majorgroups of contaminants; specific contaminant-related problemsincluding deformities, diseases, endocrine disruption, and decliningpopulations; and the use of amphibians and reptiles in riskassessments. The book is an excellent source of information forcontaminant ecologists who are interested in these seldom-studied butextremely important animals, for herpetologists who are interested inhow contaminants may affect their species of concern, and for thosewith a general interest in ecology and ecotoxicology. ... Read more

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A Must-Have for Herpetologists
I heard about this book from a colleague who attended the annual herp conference this year.It is an excellent compilation of literature on the subject, includes chapters on amphibian and repilte physiology, and much, much more.I particularly needed specific tolerance information that was up-to-date, and wasn't disappointed.Contains specific LC50s for all research to date.Overall, an excellent investment. ... Read more

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The interaction between environment and health is far more complex than is commonly understood. In particular, little attention has been paid to the interaction of different pollutants in the human body as well as in the environment. Even low level exposure over a period of time to a complex cocktail of pollutants in air, water, food and consumer products is likely to contribute significantly to the health status of European citizens. The present book represents new knowlege both human and environmental risk assessment procedures and although it is generally acknowledged that chemical, biological, radiological, and other stressors can cause a variety of human health or ecological health effects, assessing the risks associated with them is considerably more complex methodologically and computationally than current risk assessment practices. The current book is designed to reduce the uncertainty in our current knowledge of ecotoxicology. Four basic topics it embraces are (I) The Science of Ecotoxicology, (II) Ecological Risk Assessment and Multiple Stressors, (III) Methods and Tools in Ecotoxicology and Ecological Risk Assessment and (IV) Ecotoxicology and Toxicity Monitoring

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Hormones and Pharmaceuticals Generated by Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations: Transport in Water and Soil examines how hormones, antibiotics and pharmaceuticals generated from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) of cattle, poultry, swine and aquaculture are transported in water and soil. Little is known of the environmental fate of the tons of physiologically active steroid hormones released each year. In their own regard, in the last 20 years considerable attention has been given to a wide variety of natural and anthropomorphic agents known as endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). Until the contribution of steroid hormones to the environment are better defined, it will be difficult to quantify the exact impact of EDCs. While some advances in the understanding of the fate of these compounds in water has been made, little is known about the processes that govern their transport in soil or how they eventually reach groundwater. As this book discusses extensively, it is somewhat of a mystery how steroids, with their lipophilic nature, strong binding to humic acids and extensive metabolism by soil bacteria, can be transported through even a few centimeters of soil, let alone 20 to 40 meters to the groundwater. With respect to antibiotics, the emphasis is on their fate and transport in the environment and on the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. Impacts on soil ecology, including the impact of antibiotics on the metabolism of other active agents, is also discussed. Similarly, the acaricides and insecticides used in animal husbandry are widely used and their environmental pathways have been studied and have significant impacts on soil and dung ecology. Active compounds with potential environmental impacts, such as growth promoters generated from CAFOs, are described. However, because little is known of their environmental fate, emphasis is placed on defining the gaps in our knowledge and defining their possible effects.

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This book provides a guide to the use and meaning of toxicological and ecological information in the paper industry. For example, the information provided by suppliers of paper chemicals to paper mills is analysed in detail. This allows for greater understanding by users and therefore awareness of the possible implications of handling a given chemical with respect to its impact on the working environment, the final product and the environment beyond the mill. The information currently available is collected, summarised and systematised so that users bombarded with inconsistent Safety Data Sheets can make intelligent use of them or can ask sensible questions of their suppliers. Emphasis is on providing guidance on how to find a commercially realistic path between over evaluation and under evaluation of potential health and environmental risks. ... Read more

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One of the most difficult decisions facing those responsible for the enforcement of environmental regulations and laws is how much clean-up is necessary. A decision to do too little may cause irreversible damage to the environment, while a decision to do more than is necessary may waste resources better spent elsewhere. Using an approach similar to clinical biochemistry in human medicine, this book is a critical examination of the use of biomarkers (the physiological or biochemical changes caused by chemicals) to indicate the state of health of wildlife in the environment. Because of the increasing concern over the effects of toxic chemicals on the biosphere, the choice of reliable indicators to measure the effect of them in animals is therefore absolutely crucial. David Peakall has been involved in researching biomarkers for many years and has been active in a number of international advisory bodies dealing with pollution problems. His book looks at the range of biomarkers, their usefulness in monitoring pollution and the prediction of the biotoxic effects of the release of toxic chemicals.He concludes that basing decisions on the physiological function of organisms, using the biomarkers and the concept of "exclusion zones", is a more rational and successful approach to pollution problems compared with the classical toxicological approach of setting pollution "levels". ... Read more

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Traditionally the province of chemists, the problem of environmental pollution is increasingly being tackled using methodologies which have a biological basis. This 1998 volume provides a range of examples of how biotechnology can offer sensitive and ecologically relevant new ways of monitoring the presence of biohazards in our environment and, once detected, how these biohazards can be removed in an ecologically safe way through bioremediation. Additional chapters on economic, legislative and policy aspects set the topic in its social context, resulting in a broad-ranging volume of value to all those concerned with the science of ecologically effective environmental protection and management. ... Read more

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This book is the first on SARs in environmental science as wellas a reference for SAR experts. The aim of SAR techniques is twofold:(a)the scientific analysis of processes resulting in environmentaldamage, and (b) the prediction of activity and effects for potentialcontaminants, when experimental data, as often, are not available.The second application makes SAR a valuable tool to reduce animaltesting, whilst improving the identification of priority pollutants.The book features the three fundamentals of SAR: descriptors of thechemical structures, environmental fate and ecotoxicity relatedactivity endpoings and statistical techniques to formalize therelationships. Based on this background information, the availableSAR models are critically discussed with regard to their reliabilityand their aptness in environmental hazard and risk assessments. ... Read more

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Responding to the growing need for an aggressive yet conservative approach to evaluating mussel populations, Freshwater Bivalve Ecotoxicology provides a collective review of the techniques and approaches for assessing contaminant impact on freshwater ecosystems. The editors incorporate coverage of research topics and management issues from a cross-section of scientists in the field. They explore current advances in general monitoring of population responses to stressors, fundamental concepts of ecotoxicology specific to burrowing bivalves, and useful insights that offer direction and priority for resolving specific problems challenging protection and conservation efforts.

This book lays the groundwork with discussions of topics such as impact assessment, toxicokinetics, biomarkers, and pollution tolerance. The authors then explore fundamental concepts surrounding responses measured in freshwater bivalves as a consequence of chemical exposures or accumulated contaminants in target organs or tissues. They highlight the difficulties encountered with the laboratory culture of these organisms for toxicity testing or other controlled experiments, and examine the use of surrogate test organisms to relate sensitivities of response and reduce pressure on already impacted fauna. The book also reviews innovative field research using in situ bivalve toxicity testing, discusses effects-oriented tissue contaminant assessment, and concludes with threefour specific laboratory or combined field/laboratory ecotoxicology studies.

A summary of methods from more than 75 laboratory toxicity studies conducted with freshwater mussels, the book provides an overview of a standardized method for conducting water-only acute and chronic laboratory toxicity tests with glochidia juvenile freshwater mussels. It focuses on studies that report measured contaminant treatments, had robust experimental designs, including replication of control and contaminant treatments, and were published in the peer-reviewed literature. The resulting array of viewpoints provides a framework that can be used to establish priorities in the rehabilitation and management of freshwater ecosystems. ... Read more

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Managing sites contaminated with munitions constituents is an international challenge. Although the choice of approach and the use of Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) tools may vary from country to country, the assurance of quality and the direction of ecotoxicological research are universally recognized as shared concerns. Drawing on a multidisciplinary team of contributors, Ecotoxicology of Explosives provides comprehenisve and critical reviews available to date on fate, transport, and effects of explosives.

The book delineates the state of the science of the ecotoxicology of explosives, past, present, and recently developed. It reviews the accessible fate and ecotoxicological data for energetic materials (EMs) and the methods for their development. The chapters characterize the fate of explosives in the environment, then provide information on their ecological effects in key environmental media, including aquatic, sedimentary, and terrestrial habitats. The book also discusses approaches for assembling these lines of evidence for risk assessment purposes. The chapter authors have critically examined the peer-reviewed literature to identify and prioritize the knowledge gaps and to recommend future areas of research.

The editors include a review of the genotoxic effects of the EMs and the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the toxicity of these chemicals. They also discuss the transport, transformation, and degradation pathways of these chemicals in the environment that underlie the potential hazardous impact and bioaccumulation of EMs in different terrestrial and aquatic ecologiocal receptors. This information translates into practical applications for the environmental risk assessment of EM-contaminated sites and into recommendations for the sustainable use of defense installations.

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It is known that rare earth elements (REEs) comprisea homogenous group of elements in the periodicsystem. They include the elements scandium (Sc),yttrium (Y) and 15 lanthanides with successiveatomic numbers from 57 to 71. In fact, theterm "rare earth elements" is misleading becausethese elements are not rare. Data on the biologicaleffects of REEs are scarce and contradictory. Thereported effects of REEs range from stimulation tono role in increasing agricultural plant productionup to reduction of growth, apparently as a functionof concentration, speciation and bioavailability.This book, therefore, provides us with the followingobjectives: (I) study the dose/effect relationshipsof added REEs on soil microbiological parameters(soil enzyme activities and microbial counts) usingmaize and oilseed rape crops in order to understandthe environmental chemistry behaviors of REEs asfertilizers in soils. (II) Determination dose/effectrelationships of added REEs on the growth parametersof maize and oilseed rape crops and REEsbioaccumulation. (III) Evaluation the chances andecotoxicological risks of REEs in agriculturalenvironment. ... Read more