Introduction -- Geochemistry of the tropical environment -- Bioavailability of trace elements and risk assessment -- Medical geology of fluoride -- Iodine geochemistry and health -- Nitrates in the geochemical environment -- Medical geochemistry of arsenic -- Water hardness in relation to cardiovascular diseases and urinary stones -- Selenium -- a new entrant to medical geology -- Geological basis of podoconiosis, geophagy and other diseases -- High natural radioactivity in some tropical lands -- boon or bane?- Baseline geochemical data for medical geology in tropical environments -- References -- Index
Summary
The unique geochemistry of tropical environments have a marked influence on their health, giving rise to diseases that affect millions of people. The origin of these diseases is geologic as exemplified by dental and skeletal fluorosis, and iodine deficiency disorders. This book presents an introduction to the discipline of Medical Geology
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 259-291) and index