The amount of hazardous waste in the United States has been estimated at 275 million metric tons in licensed sites alone. Is the health of Americans at risk from exposure to this toxic material? This volume, the first of several on environmental epidemiology, reviews the available evidence and makes recommendations for filling gaps in data and improving health assessments.


The book explores:




Whether researchers can infer health hazards from available data.
The results of substantial state and federal programs on hazardous waste dangers.


The book presents the results of studies of hazardous wastes in the air, water, soil, and food and examines the potential of biological markers in health risk assessment.


The data and recommendations in this volume will be of immediate use to toxicologists, environmental health professionals, epidemiologists, and other biologists.

Table of Contents


Front Matter
Summary
Section One: Public Health and Hazardous Wastes: The Context
1. Introduction
2. State and Federal Context for Environmental Epidemiology of Hazardous Wastes
3. Dimensions of the Problem: Exposure Assessment
Section Two: Hazardous Wastes in Air, Water, Soil, and Food; Biological Markers
4. Air Exposures
5. Domestic Water Consumption
6. Soil and Food as Potential Sources of Exposure at Hazardous-Waste Sites
7. Biological Markers in Studies of Hazardous-Waste Sites
8. General Conclusions
Index