U.S. Health in International Perspective


Book Description

The United States is among the wealthiest nations in the world, but it is far from the healthiest. Although life expectancy and survival rates in the United States have improved dramatically over the past century, Americans live shorter lives and experience more injuries and illnesses than people in other high-income countries. The U.S. health disadvantage cannot be attributed solely to the adverse health status of racial or ethnic minorities or poor people: even highly advantaged Americans are in worse health than their counterparts in other, "peer" countries. In light of the new and growing evidence about the U.S. health disadvantage, the National Institutes of Health asked the National Research Council (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to convene a panel of experts to study the issue. The Panel on Understanding Cross-National Health Differences Among High-Income Countries examined whether the U.S. health disadvantage exists across the life span, considered potential explanations, and assessed the larger implications of the findings. U.S. Health in International Perspective presents detailed evidence on the issue, explores the possible explanations for the shorter and less healthy lives of Americans than those of people in comparable countries, and recommends actions by both government and nongovernment agencies and organizations to address the U.S. health disadvantage.




Lead Toxicity


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Lead in the Marine Environment


Book Description

Lead in the Marine Environment covers the proceedings of the International Experts Discussion on Lead Occurrence, Fate, and Pollution in the Marine Environment, held in Rovinj, Yugoslavia on October 18-22, 1977. The book focuses on the release of lead to the environment, including the techniques, processes, and technologies involved in the analysis of lead in marine ecosystems. The selection first highlights the impact of human on coastal marine ecosystems; analysis of natural and industrial lead in marine ecosystems; and the occurrence of lead in Northeast Pacific and the effects of anthropogenic inputs. The book also looks at the voltammetric determination of the stability constants of the predominant labile lead complexes in sea water, as well as investigations on the nature of the effective carbonato ligand and experimental verification of a chemical model for trace metal speciation in sea water. The publication reviews studies of lead in water and biological materials using X-ray emission spectroscopy; theoretical studies of the chemical speciation of lead in sea water; and input of lead into the Mediterranean through rivers. The text also explains the chelation of lead by organic ligands in sea water and potentialities and limitations of atomic absorption spectroscopy in environmental and biological materials with reference to lead determinations. Concerns include aspects of chelation of heavy metal traces in sea water and typical lead values and analytical data for biological and environmental materials. The selection is a vital source of data for readers interested in studying the effects of lead on the environment.







Lead and the Environment


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Lead in the Environment


Book Description

Item 624




America's Children and the Environment


Book Description

"America's Children and the Environment (ACE)" is EPA's report presenting data on children's environmental health. ACE brings together information from a variety of sources to provide national indicators in the following areas: Environments and Contaminants, Biomonitoring, and Health. Environments and Contaminants indicators describe conditions in the environment, such as levels of air pollution. Biomonitoring indicators include contaminants measured in the bodies of children and women of child-bearing age, such as children's blood lead levels. Health indicators report the rates at which selected health outcomes occur among U.S. children, such as the annual percentage of children who currently have asthma. Accompanying each indicator is text discussing the relevance of the issue to children's environmental health and describing the data used in preparing the indicator. Wherever possible, the indicators are based on data sources that are updated in a consistent manner, so that indicator values may be compared over time.