The methods of molecular biology applied in epidemiological research lead us to the realm of molecular epidemiology, where there is immense potential for the establishment of associations between cancer and exposure to risk factors in lifestyle, profession, or pollution. Human biomonitoring consists, on the one hand, in research and identification of hazardous environmental conditions and, on the other hand, in the assessment of cancer risk following exposure to such conditions. Since carcinogenesis is a lengthy process, the biomarkers used to recognize biological abnormalities are selected and developed in the realm of molecular epidemiology. Such biomarkers are quantifiable and allow for the recognition of progression from normal to abnormal biological conditions at the molecular level. They can be categorized in biomarkers of exposure, effect, and genetic susceptibility. Genotoxicity biomarkers are a particular subset of effect biomarkers and are used to assess genomic instability caused by environmental or occupational exposure, being considered useful carcinogenesis predictors.

Biomarkers have emerged as an exciting tool in disease prevention, particularly in the workplace. They may be used to document workers' exposure to toxins, signal the onset of health effects, or identify individuals with susceptibility to certain environmental threats. But the uncertainty is as great as the potential. Are biomarkers suitable for widespread use? How can they be deployed in diverse contexts? How can biological information about workers be handled fairly and ethically? Biomarkers and Occupational Health describes the state of biomarker development, including the implications of the Human Genome program, and presents a range of viewpoints on the future of biomarkers from the leaders in the field. This book explores the three basic types of biomarkers (markers of exposure, markers of health effects, and markers of susceptibility to disease) from a variety of perspectives. It examines what can be learned from well-known exposure sitesâ€"Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Chernobyl, and the Hanford nuclear site in the United States, for exampleâ€"and a wide range of human cases and animal studies. The book also explores the costs and ramifications of developing a large-scale program to monitor potentially exposed workers (e.g., at a cleanup site). A framework is offered for the use of biomarkers based on the mandate to "change the environment before you change the worker." The book explores how to identify ethical issues, how to set development priorities, and how to integrate biomarkers into an occupational health and safety program. The authors present the latest technical findings about markers for chronic beryllium disease as well as markers for exposure to carcinogens, radiation, and chroniumâ€"including prospects for detecting long-past exposures. Biomarkers and Occupational Health offers an update on biomarker development and explores a wide scope of issues. This book will be important to occupational health professionals, biomedical researchers, toxicologists, epidemiologists, and labor and management officials involved in worker health issues. Moritmer L. Mendelsohn, M.D., Ph.D., is Vice-Chairman of the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) in Japan, which studies the long-term health effects of the atomic blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and he is former Associate Director of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. John P. Peeters, Ph.D., is a geneticist who is currently directing a division of the Office of Occupational Medicine for the United States Department of Energy. Mary Janet Normandy, Ph.D., is a toxicologist who specializes in the metabolism of xenobiotics in mammalian systems. She is currently a member of the Department of Energy's Office of Occupational Medicine.

Human biomonitoring has developed from a research tool in occupational and environmental health to identify and quantify exposures to harmful substances in urine and blood. The analytical methods for detection of substances in biological media have considerably improved with smaller detection limits and more precise and specific measurements. Human biomonitoring is a valuable tool in exposure estimation of selected populations and currently used in surveillance programs all over the world. This two volume set provides an overview of current available biomarkers and human biomonitoring programs in environmental health, which is timely given the present debate on adverse health effects from environmental exposures. The books decribe both previous and ongoing studies as well as the newer biomarkers of exposure and effects. Volume one describes current human biomonitoring programs in Germany, Romania, France, Canada, India and Belgium, providing convincing evidence of a global decline in human exposures to lead and increasing concern from exposure to endocrine disruptors and the genotoxic compound. Biomarkers of specific exposures to a wide range of widely used everyday compounds such as phthalates, PFCs, bisphenol A, brominated flame retardants, PAHs, dioxins, mercury and arsenic are also discussed. Volume two decribes human biomonitoing of exposures to environmental tobacco smoke, mycotoxins, physiological stress, hormone activity, oxidative stress and ionizing radiation, as well as effect biomarkers of hemoglobin adducts, germ cells, micronuclei and individual susceptability. The books will be essential reading for toxicologists, environmental scientists and all those working in the safety and risk assessment of chemicals.

This two volume set offers an overview of current available biomarkers and human biomonitoring programs in environmental health.

Environmental health has evolved over time into a complex, multidisciplinary field. Many of the key determinants and solutions to environmental health problems lie outside the direct realm of health and are strongly dependent on environmental changes, water and sanitation, industrial development, education, employment, trade, tourism, agriculture, urbanization, energy, housing and national security. Environmental risks, vulnerability and variability manifest themselves in different ways and at different time scales. While there are shared global and transnational problems, each community, country or region faces its own unique environmental health problems, the solution of which depends on circumstances surrounding the resources, customs, institutions, values and environmental vulnerability. This work contains critical reviews and assessments of environmental health practices and research that have worked in places and thus can guide programs and economic development in other countries or regions. The Encyclopedia of Environmental Health, Five Volume Set seeks to conceptualize the subject more clearly, to describe the best available scientific methods that can be used in characterizing and managing environmental health risks, to extend the field of environmental health through new theoretical perspectives and heightened appreciation of social, economic and political contexts, and to encourage a richer analysis in the field through examples of diverse experiences in dealing with the health-environment interface. The Encyclopedia of Environmental Health contains numerous examples of policy options and environmental health practices that have worked and thus can guide programs in other countries or regions It includes a wide range of tools and strategies that can assist communities and countries in assessing environmental health conditions, monitoring progress of intervention implementation and evaluating outcomes Provides a comprehensive overview of existing knowledge in this emerging field Articles contain summaries and assessments of environmental health practices and research, providing a framework for further research Places environmental health in the broader context of environmental change and related ecological, political, economic, social, and cultural issues

Principles of Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics: Fundamentals for Individualized Nutrition is the most comprehensive foundational text on the complex topics of nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics. Edited by three leaders in the field with contributions from the most well-cited researchers conducting groundbreaking research in the field, the book covers how the genetic makeup influences the response to foods and nutrients and how nutrients affect gene expression. Principles of Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics: Fundamentals for Individualized Nutrition is broken into four parts providing a valuable overview of genetics, nutrigenetics, and nutrigenomics, and a conclusion that helps to translate research into practice. With an overview of the background, evidence, challenges, and opportunities in the field, readers will come away with a strong understanding of how this new science is the frontier of medical nutrition. Principles of Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics: Fundamentals for Individualized Nutrition is a valuable reference for students and researchers studying nutrition, genetics, medicine, and related fields. - Uniquely foundational, comprehensive, and systematic approach with full evidence-based coverage of established and emerging topics in nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics - Includes a valuable guide to ethics for genetic testing for nutritional advice - Chapters include definitions, methods, summaries, figures, and tables to help students, researchers, and faculty grasp key concepts - Companion website includes slide decks, images, questions, and other teaching and learning aids designed to facilitate communication and comprehension of the content presented in the book

This volume presents a comprehensive overview of the science and application of the Exposome through seventeen chapters from leaders in the field. At just over ten years since the term was coined by Christopher Wild in 2005, this is the first, field-defining volume to offer a holistic picture of the important and growing field of Exposomics. The term “Exposome” describes the sum of all exposures (not only chemical) that an individual can receive over a lifetime from both exogenous sources (environmental contaminants, food, lifestyle, drugs, air, etc.) and endogenous sources (metabolism, oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation, chemicals synthesized by the microbiome, etc.). The first section of this book contains chapters that discuss how the Exposome is defined and how the concept fits into the fields of public health and epidemiology. The second section provides an overview of techniques and methods to measure the human Exposome. The third section contains methods and applications for measuring the Exposome through external exposures. Section four provides an overview on statistical and computational techniques- including big data analysis - for characterizing the Exposome. Section five presents a global collection of case studies

Due to the resultant health consequences and considerable increase in prevalence, obesity has become a major worldwide health problem. “Obesity and Lipotoxicity” is a comprehensive review of the recent researches to provide a better understanding of the lipotoxicity-related mechanisms of obesity and the potential for the development of new treatment strategies. This book overviews the biochemical pathways leading to obesity-related metabolic disorders that occur subsequent to lipotoxicity. Chapters examine the deleterious effects of nutrient excess at molecular level including the cellular and molecular aspects of breast cancer, resistance to leptin, insulin, adiponectin, and interconnection between the circadian clock and metabolic pathways during high-fat feeding. “Lipotoxicity and Obesity” will be a useful resource for clinicians and basic science researchers, such as biochemists, toxicologists, immunologists, nutritionists, adult and pediatric endocrinologists, cardiologists, as well as students who are thought in this field.