Environmental-Health Books

Thank you Chad. America should know this "awful truth". By the way, we in Appalachia are still holding the same protest signs that these brave people held up in this book 30 years ago.
Help us America.

Risk Management in Post-Trust Society

This other book is also essential for anyone interested in this subject matter.

A beautiful book about beekeeping and the need for us all to change our attitudes about beekeeping to be more caring of the bees. The honeybee population is in decline, this book gives explanation why and how we can begin to address the real issues and causes in order to save our wonderful honeybees.

Great seller who provides unusually high quality service. Fast shipping and great communication.

It can often seem that we have no secrets--students trumpet their relationship status and crushes on Facebook, data brokers sell our Social Security numbers for a small fee, grocery stores know our eating habits and can guess to the dime what we will appear in our carts at check out every Sunday. So why bother caring about privacy if we really do not have any and cannot control it anyway?

In a beautifully rendered and important book, Professor Solove helps answer that question (and many others) and, in the process, deepens our appreciation of how much privacy is really at stake and why it matters.

Understanding Privacy carefully lays out the different ways our privacy is compromised and the harm that can result. The book brings alive the fact that when our privacy is threatened, individuals are not alone in suffering harm. To be sure, a person whose privacy is compromised experiences problems, from identity theft when a Social Security number is released to a thief to lost job opportunities when drug testing results taken for sports programs make their way to future employers. But, as this book so ably demonstrates, society as a whole suffers as well.

Understanding Privacy illuminates the kaleidoscopic interests at stake and offers a principled way for us to face them. As technology marches on, our privacy is increasingly compromised. Telephone companies store our incoming and outgoing calls, search engines know what we are interested in, and the government mines our information. But, as this book makes clear, businesses, government, and people are in charge of those technologies and have important decisions to make about the information that they amass, use, and disclose, and the activities that they watch. This book is a must read for anyone who wants to appreciate the philosophical and practical questions at issue in our information age.

Visual Ergonomics Handbook by Jeffrey Anshel (CRC Press) If you are reading this book clearly and comfortably, then congratulations - your eyes are probably working well. Yet it's also most likely that you spend several hours per day staring at a computer screen (maybe even while reading this book). Viewing an electronic display screen varies significantly from reading text on paper and our eyes most often suffer for it. We need to address this problem and find out what can be done to make our computer viewing time more comfortable, as well as more productive.
Both optometrists and ergonomists realize that the eyes are a critical part of proper ergonomics. It has been said that the eyes lead the body, so one cannot rightfully be considered without the other. However, ergonomists often have just a rudimentary understanding of the human visual system. This text combines the efforts of leading experts in the fields of optometry, ergonomics, eye safety, and occupational medicine. It integrates their knowl¬edge into a comprehensive, easy-to-read volume that is sure to appeal to all interested parties.
The first chapters deal with the eyes and visual system. Chapter 1 starts off with a historical perspective on how our vision and visual system are designed to work and how they have been challenged to keep up with our social development. Chapter 2 offers a simplified but thorough discussion of the process of eyesight and the components of the visual system. The level of discussion is such that the health and safety professional will feel confident in learning how the eyes work and why subsequent recommendations are justified.
Next comes a discussion of the technology behind computer displays. Because the images created on a monitor differ from standard ink-on-paper, the eyes adjust to the image differently. An explanation of the terminology and image generation for the older cathode-ray tube (CRT) and the newer liquid crystal display (LCD) technologies are discussed.
The next chapters discuss the environmental issues surrounding eye symp¬toms and vision in the workplace. It covers lighting, glare, monitor position, viewing distances, and other issues in detail.
The American Optometric Association has defined computer vision syndrome (CVS) as "that complex of eye and vision problems related to near work that are experienced during or related to computer use." A complete discussion of the signs and symptoms of this condition is detailed and reviewed.
Following this is a discussion of lighting issues surrounding display use in the workplace. One of the major differences between viewing a display screen and viewing printed matter is that displays are self-illuminated, whereas paper requires external illumination. We explore the details of the quality of light and how to properly light a workplace so that all areas are clear and comfortable. A section on glare in the workplace is also included to clarify the role of anti-glare filters for displays.
Because the visual system is integral with body posture, we also include a section on general ergonomic principles. We tie in these general ergonomic concepts with the impact they have on the vision of computer users and show how they depend on each other.
The next chapter discusses how vision examinations differ for computer users as opposed to more traditional examinations. This is meant to inform the health and safety professional as to what information is critical to describe to the doctor. A discussion of "computer glasses" and how they are to be used in the workplace is included.
In addition to computer use, the next chapter discusses eye safety in industrial settings. This area not only covers safety glasses but also includes government standards, types of equipment, visual considerations, contact lenses, and more.
While not specifically involved with current office ergonomic consider¬ations, the effect of computer use on children is also pertinent to this dis¬cussion. A recent survey indicates that about 80% of children from the ages of 8 to 18 use computers on a regular basis. In addition, software makers now target their products for children as young as 18 months old! The future workforce is being created, and problems experienced while a young person will often carry over to productivity and performance in the workplace.
No discussion of ergonomics can be complete without including the eco¬nomic impact of such programs in the workplace. Ergonomic considerations are often limited by the economics of a particular company. The book con¬cludes with a discussion of these closely related issues.
The appendices include a computer vision questionnaire, an occupational vision questionnaire, resources for blind and visually impaired employees, a seal-of-approval list for antiglare filters from the American Optometric Association, a list of ergonomic accessories from various companies, and additional resources.
This book is a compilation of contributions from some of the best minds in the ergonomics community. While it is impossible to single out the best in any field, I feel confident that these professionals have significant contri¬butions to make in the area of visual ergonomics. Following the Introduction is a roster of the contributors and short biographies noting their accomplish¬ments.
Dr. Jeffrey Anshel is a 1975 graduate of the Illinois College of Optometry. He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy from 1975 to 1977 in San Diego, where he established the Navy's first vision therapy center. He has written numerous articles regarding nutritional influences on vision, stress factors that affect visual performance, and computer vision concerns.
In 1990, Dr. Anshel published his first book titled Healthy Eyes, Better Vision, a layman's reference book containing useful information and practical advice regarding vision care. His second book, Visual Ergonomics in the Workplace, published by Taylor & Francis, offers scientific and practical information about the interaction between computers and the visual system. It is a com¬prehensive guide to the role of vision in the workplace. Smart Medicine For Your Eyes, Dr. Anshel's third book, is a resource of remedies using conven¬tional, nutritional, and homeopathic eye treatments.
Dr. Anshel is the principal of Corporate Vision Consulting, where he addresses the issues surrounding visual demands while working with com¬puters. His work includes a course for eyecare professionals through which he educates doctors on computer vision syndrome and a course on dry eye syndrome. He also offers corporations on-site consultations and seminars related to visual stress in the workplace. Dr. Anshel is an assistant professor at the Southern California College of Optometry in Fullerton, California, and currently maintains a full-service practice in Carlsbad, California.

This is a very thorough and user-friendly reference book covering a range of health and safety subject matter. It's an invaluable resource for anyone working in any number of disciplines relating to environmental sciences, from academics to practitioners. I have recommended it to a number of work associates, who have all found it very useful.

At a time when many folks are thinking about growing their own food - partly because of increasing cost, and partly because of safety concerns - this article was quite helpful. It's written in plain language, easy to understand and covers all the basics of growing garlic. And the fact that this author was a beginner, made it even more appealing to me. I'd love to see similar articles about growing other vegetables.

The book is up-to-date, it is a good resume of the actual situation regarding the subject.
I found the book is able to explain everything in a quick and comprehensive way.

On reading this book I kept experiencing the urge to wave it in the face of my well-meaning friends and wider acquaintance and force them to read it under duress. Quite simply, it makes perfect sense. Content-wise, I think the review under the hardback edition will fill you in more objectively than I could hope to.

What I do want to do is recommend this book to any med students struggling to cope with their seemingly-freakish interest in health economics and policy. The med school fare is almost totally devoid of any discussion of such issues, which I may consider criminal considering doctors work as part of a system and not in isolation, but is hardly surprising given the near-universal lack of interest amongst the students. Stop trying to bully your friends into arguing with you and put the energy into getting your library to buy a copy of this book. Then consider selling off your anatomy textbook to pay for your own.