This report contains a detailed review of the literature on contaminants, exposure, and health effects of those contaminants in the Great Lakes basin. The report is based on a series of papers prepared for the Great Lakes Health Effects Program, and is supplemented by additional data from related studies. After an introduction on health concerns in the basin and an overview of priority contaminants (organochlorines, metals, radionuclides, microbes, and airborne contaminants), further sections of the review cover the following topics: adverse health effects of persistent environmental contaminants in fish and wildlife; biomarkers for exposure and health effects; human exposure to chemical contaminants and their health effects; reproductive and developmental effects; neurotoxicity; immunotoxic effects; cancer incidence in the basin; health effects associated with radionuclides; Great Lakes water quality and effects associated with microbial contaminants; air quality and associated respiratory health effects; and overall conclusions.

Overall this report presents a multi-faceted message of interest to environmental health specialists, policy-makers and the 36 million Canadian and U.S. citizens who live in communities surrounding the Great Lakes. Researchers know more about environmental health issues in the region than they ever did. This report summarizes detailed research on a range of priority contaminants including PCBs, lead and mercury.

Integrating environment and development:1972-2002; State of the environment and policy retrospective: 1972-2002; Human vulnerability to environmental change; Outlook: 2002-32; Options for action.

Distributed by the Government of Canada Depository Services Program.

This study describes the assessments of human exposure to 11 priority contaminants identified in the 1994 Canada-Ontario Agreement. These assessments incorporate exposure of the population to persistent contaminants through the ingestion of food and water, the incidental ingestion of soil and house dust and the inhalation of ambient and indoor air.

This book explores some further concepts that have arisen from more recent perceptions of environmental effects and their possible interactions with living systems. The book is written by international experts and numerous case studies are given. Discussion and presentation of old and novel ideas is targeted at developing a more holistic and united perception of the interaction between congenital diseases and the environment.

As global climate change proliferates, so too do the health risks associated with the changing world around us. Called for in the President’s Climate Action Plan and put together by experts from eight different Federal agencies, The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health: A Scientific Assessment is a comprehensive report on these evolving health risks, including: Temperature-related death and illness Air quality deterioration Impacts of extreme events on human health Vector-borne diseases Climate impacts on water-related Illness Food safety, nutrition, and distribution Mental health and well-being This report summarizes scientific data in a concise and accessible fashion for the general public, providing executive summaries, key takeaways, and full-color diagrams and charts. Learn what health risks face you and your family as a result of global climate change and start preparing now with The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health.