Table of Contents

Medical Geology: Perspectives and Prospects.-

Public Health and Geological Processes: and Overview of a Fundamental Relationship.-

Natural Distribution and Abundance of Elements.-

Anthropogenic Sources.-

Uptake of Elements from a Chemical Point of View.-

Uptake of Elements from a Biological Point of View.-

Biological Functions of the Elements.-

Geological Impacts on Nutrition.-

Biological Responses of Elements.-

Volcanic Emissions and Health.-

Radon in Air and Water.-

Arsenic in groundwater and the environment.-

Fluoride in natural waters.-

Water Hardness and Health Effects.-

Bioavailability of Elements in Soil.-

Selenium Deficiency and Toxicity in the Environment.-

Soils and Iodine Deficiency.-

Geophagy and the Involuntary Ingestion of Soil.-

The Ecology of Soil-Borne Human Pathogens.-

Animalsand Medical Geology.-

The impact of micronutrient deficiencies in agricultural soils and crops on the nutritional health of humans.-

Environmental Epidemiology.-

Environmental Medicine.-

Environmental Pathology.-

Toxicology.-

Speciation of Trace Elements.-

GIS in Human Health Studies.-

Investigating Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases with Remote Sensing and GIS.-

Mineralogy of Bone.-

Inorganic and Organic Geochemistry Techniques.-

Histochemical and Microprobe Analysis in Medical Geology.-

Chapter                          Modeling Groundwater Flow and Quality.-

Appendix A International Reference Values.-

Appendix B: Web Links.-

Appendix C: Glossary.-

Index.

About the Author

Dr. Olle Selinus is a Ph.D. geologist working with the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU). During the 1960s and 1970s he worked in mineral exploration and since the beginning of the 1980s his research work has been focused on environmental geochemistry, including research on medical geology. He has served as the organizer of several international conferences in this field, is vice president for the International Geological Congress in Oslo in 2008 and has published over 90 manuscripts. Dr. Selinus is currently the dep. Head of the Geochemical Division at SGU and in charge of research and development at the geological survey. He serves as Editor-in-Chief for the book on "Essentials of Medical Geology", and as president of the International Medical Geology Association. He has received several international awards and has been appointed Geologist of the Year (2005) in Sweden because of Medical Geology. He is also chairing the "Earth and Health" team of the United Nations initiative International Year of Planet Earth, member of the organising committee and vice president for the 33 International Geological Congress in Oslo in 2008, vice chairman of the National Committee of Geology at Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, chairman of the Swedish National Committee of the International Year of Planet Earth at the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences.

Reviews

From the reviews:“Medical geology is the interdisciplinary global study of health and disease in humans and animals associated with the geological setting of a location. … The figures are clear and current. … The work is interesting and accessible to environmental geoscientists, epidemiologists, medical professionals, and decision makers. It is the primary reference book for the field and can also serve as a textbook for undergraduate or graduate-level courses. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals/practitioners.” (M. E. Lenczewski, Choice, Vol. 51 (8), April, 2014)