Trace Metals and other Contaminants in the Environment

Chemicals come and go but rarely disappear completely from our ecosystems. Effective management of contaminants in the environment is a complex and challenging problem with worldwide ramifications. Volumes in this series deal with the identification, assessment and management of human and ecological risks associated with natural and human-derived contaminants in the environment. They are aimed at filling a need for a continuous forum to provide the reader with a timely compendium of facts on chemical contaminants and their potential implications for sustainable development. The series offers critical evaluations and creative reviews of the global literature on all aspects of trace metals and other contaminants in the environment, including their natural and anthropogenic sources, their distribution, behavior and fate in air, soil, and water as well as their effects on human and ecosystem health.Trace Metals and Other Contaminants in the Environment will provide timely coverage on, among other things, the dynamics of contaminants at the local, regional and global scales; mathematical correlations and models; accumulation in animal and human food chains; fundamental principles and mechanisms of toxicity; biochemistry and symptoms of toxicity in the tissue, the organism and whole ecosystem; biomarkers and related parameters for genotoxicity, immunotoxicity and endocrine effect; control measures and technology; policy instruments, legislative agenda and protocols for setting guidelines and standards; rehabilitation of contaminated ecosystems; and the application of risk assessment paradigm to management of environmental problems. Results of field-based and laboratory-based studies are equally acceptable for the series.The series should serve as a bridge between the primary journal articles and the generally accepted knowledge one finds in textbooks and should be an educational and training resource for students and practicing professionals. It should provide a convenient entry into the transdisciplinary studies in rapidly evolving scientific fields.