Chemical Exposures: Low Levels And High Stakes Hardcover 2

Nicholas A. Ashford

Chemical Exposures: Low Levels and High Stakes explains how day-to-day variations in chemical exposure may cause unusual and seemingly unpredictable symptoms, including many that have been termed psychosomatic in the past. It describes how everyday, low-level chemical exposures may cause fatigue, memory impairment, headaches, mood changes, breathing difficulties, digestive problems, and a host of chronic unexplained illnesses including chronic fatigue syndrome, Gulf War syndrome, and sick building syndrome. The authors are the first writers to clearly describe and document the process of adaptation, a concept that provides a rational and scientific basis for understanding these symptoms. In the Second Edition of this professionally acclaimed work, the authors offer evidence for an emerging new theory of disease-toxicant-induced loss of tolerance-which may have far-reaching implications for medicine, public health, and environmental policy.Based on a report commissioned by the New Jersey Department of Health that won the World Health Organization's Macedo Award, Chemical Exposures is the most comprehensive book ever written on sensitivity to low level chemical exposure and the many health effects associated with it. This work clarifies the nature of chemical sensitivity, shows how it differs from traditional allergies and toxicity, and suggests how federal and state governments can help those who are affected. The book identifies four major groups of people with hypersensitivity to low levels of chemicals: occupants of tight buildings, industrial workers who handle chemicals, residents of communities exposed to toxic chemicals, and individuals with random and unique exposures to various chemicals. The fact that similar symptoms are being reported by members of these demographically diverse groups not only points to a serious problem, it may also contribute to a better understanding of chemical sensitivity.

0471292400

9780471292401

English

John Wiley and Sons Ltd

22 January 1998

464

About the Authors Nicholas A. Ashford, Ph.D., J.D., is Professor of Technology and Policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he teaches courses in Environmental and Occupational Health Law and Policy. He was Chairman of the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health, served as Chairman of the Committee on Technology, Innovation, and Economics of the EPA National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology, and was a member of the EPA Science Advisory Board. He is a Fellow of the American Association of Science and serves as an advisor to the United Nations Environmental Program. He holds a Doctorate in Chemistry and a Law Degree from the University of Chicago, where he received graduate training in Economics. Claudia S. Miller, M.D., M.S., is Assistant Professor in Environmental and Occupational Medicine in the Department of Family Practice at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. She is boarded in...show more

Claudia S. Miller

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