Soils And Human Health

Description: Despite the connections between soils and human health, there has not been a great amount of attention focused on this area when compared to many other fields of scientific and medical study. Soils and Human Health brings together authors from diverse fields with an interest in soils and human health, including soil science, geology, geography, biology, and anthropology to investigate this issue from a number of perspectives. The book includes a soil science primer chapter for readers from other fields, and discusses the ways the soil science community can contribute to improving our understanding of soils and human health. Features Discusses ways the soil science community can contribute to the improvement of soil health Approaches human health from a soils-focused perspective, covering the influence of soil conservation and contact with soil on human health Illustrates topics via case studies including arsenic in groundwater in Bangladesh; the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam; heavy metal contamination in Shipham, United Kingdom and Omaha, Nebraska, USA; and electronic waste recycling in China. In a scientific world where the trend has often been ever-increasing specialization and increasingly difficult communication between fields and subfields, the interdisciplinary nature of soils and human health studies presents a significant challenge going forward. Fields with an interest in soils and human health need to have increased cross-disciplinary communication and cooperation. This book is a step in the direction of accessibility and innovation, elucidating the state of knowledge in the meeting of soil and health sciences, and identifying places where more work is needed.

Review: "... covers a wide range of topics ... using an accessible, although technical, language that is understandable by professionals across multiple disciplines. ... The editors guide the authors of this comprehensive and inter-disciplinary work throughout a communicative and cooperative product, extremely rich in figures, tables and several case studies. ... It guides both students and scientists to understand the physical, chemical and biological complexity of different issues throughout the book." -Teodoro Miano, Professor of Soil Chemistry, University of Bari, Italy

Contents: Topic Overview An Introduction to Soil Science Basics Eric C. Brevik Soils and Human Health: An Overview Eric C. Brevik Human Health as It Relates to Materials Found in Soil Soil, Heavy Metals, and Human Health Richard Morgan Organic Pollutants in Soil Lynn C. Burgess Human Disease from Introduced and Resident Soilborne Pathogens Thomas E. Loynachan Radioactive Elements in Soil: Interactions, Health Risks, Remediation, and Monitoring Charles E. Turick, Anna S. Knox, and Wendy W. Kuhne Soil's Influence on Water Quality and Human Health Martin F. Helmke and Russell L. Losco Human Use of and Interactions with Soil Geophagy: An Anthropological Perspective Jacques M. Henry and F. Daniel Cring Soil Minerals, Organisms, and Human Health: Medicinal Uses of Soils and Soil Materials Monday Mbila Soils, Human Health, and Wealth: A Complicated Relationship C. Lee Burras, Mary Nyasimi, and Lorna Butler Human Contact with Plants and Soils for Health and Well-Being Joseph R. Heckman Organic Farming: Impacts on Soil, Food, and Human Health Patrick M. Carr, Kathleen Delate, Xin Zhao, Cynthia A. Cambardella, Pattie L. Carr, and Joseph R. Heckman Addressing Soil Impacts on Public Health: Issues and Recommendations Roni A. Neff, Cheryl Carmona, and Rebecca Kanter Food Security and Climate Change Soils and Food Security Winfried E.H. Blum and Stephen Nortcliff Soils, Climate, and Human Adaptability: Review of History in the Holocene Miroslav Kutilek and Donald R. Nielsen Climate Change, Soils, and Human Health Eric C. Brevik

Author Biography: Eric Brevik, PhD, is Associate Professor of Geology and Soils at Dickinson State University in North Dakota, USA. Lynn C. Burgess, PhD, is Associate Professor of Biology, and Director of the Environmental Health Program at Dickinson State University in North Dakota, USA.