Soils and Human Health
Features
- Discusses ways the soil science community can contribute to an improved understanding of how soils influence human health
- Approaches human health from a soils-focused perspective, covering the influence of soil conservation and contact with soil on human health
- Addresses food security and climate change issues
- Points out areas in which interdisciplinary collaborations are sorely needed
- Includes a soil science primer for interested readers from other fields without a strong soils background
Summary
Despite the connections between soils and human health, there has not been a great amount of attention focused on this area when compared to many other fields of scientific and medical study. Soils and Human Health brings together authors from diverse fields with an interest in soils and human health, including soil science, geology, geography, biology, and anthropology to investigate this issue from a number of perspectives. The book includes a soil science primer chapter for readers from other fields, and discusses the ways the soil science community can contribute to improving our understanding of soils and human health.
Features
- Discusses ways the soil science community can contribute to the improvement of soil health
- Approaches human health from a soils-focused perspective, covering the influence of soil conservation and contact with soil on human health
- Illustrates topics via case studies including arsenic in groundwater in Bangladesh; the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam; heavy metal contamination in Shipham, United Kingdom and Omaha, Nebraska, USA; and electronic waste recycling in China.
In a scientific world where the trend has often been ever-increasing specialization and increasingly difficult communication between fields and subfields, the interdisciplinary nature of soils and human health studies presents a significant challenge going forward. Fields with an interest in soils and human health need to have increased cross-disciplinary communication and cooperation. This book is a step in the direction of accessibility and innovation, elucidating the state of knowledge in the meeting of soil and health sciences, and identifying places where more work is needed.
Table of Contents
Topic Overview
An Introduction to Soil Science Basics
Eric C. Brevik
Soils and Human Health: An Overview
Eric C. Brevik
Human Health as It Relates to Materials Found in Soil
Soil, Heavy Metals, and Human Health
Richard Morgan
Organic Pollutants in Soil
Lynn C. Burgess
Human Disease from Introduced and Resident Soilborne Pathogens
Thomas E. Loynachan
Radioactive Elements in Soil: Interactions, Health Risks, Remediation, and Monitoring
Charles E. Turick, Anna S. Knox, and Wendy W. Kuhne
Soil’s Influence on Water Quality and Human Health
Martin F. Helmke and Russell L. Losco
Human Use of and Interactions with Soil
Geophagy: An Anthropological Perspective
Jacques M. Henry and F. Daniel Cring
Soil Minerals, Organisms, and Human Health: Medicinal Uses of Soils and Soil Materials
Monday Mbila
Soils, Human Health, and Wealth: A Complicated Relationship
C. Lee Burras, Mary Nyasimi, and Lorna Butler
Human Contact with Plants and Soils for Health and Well-Being
Joseph R. Heckman
Organic Farming: Impacts on Soil, Food, and Human Health
Patrick M. Carr, Kathleen Delate, Xin Zhao, Cynthia A. Cambardella,
Pattie L. Carr, and Joseph R. Heckman
Addressing Soil Impacts on Public Health: Issues and Recommendations
Roni A. Neff, Cheryl Carmona, and Rebecca Kanter
Food Security and Climate Change
Soils and Food Security
Winfried E.H. Blum and Stephen Nortcliff
Soils, Climate, and Human Adaptability: Review of History in the Holocene
Miroslav Kutílek and Donald R. Nielsen
Climate Change, Soils, and Human Health
Eric C. Brevik
Author Bio(s)
Editorial Reviews
"… covers a wide range of topics … using an accessible, although technical, language that is understandable by professionals across multiple disciplines. … The editors guide the authors of this comprehensive and inter-disciplinary work throughout a communicative and cooperative product, extremely rich in figures, tables and several case studies. … It guides both students and scientists to understand the physical, chemical and biological complexity of different issues throughout the book."
—Teodoro Miano, Professor of Soil Chemistry, University of Bari, Italy
