Mercury in the Environment: Pattern and Process - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0520271637 ISBN 13: 9780520271630

Publisher: University of California Press, 2012

Synopsis

Mercury pollution and contamination are widespread, well documented, and continue to pose a public health concern in both developed and developing countries. In response to a growing need for understanding the cycling of this ubiquitous pollutant, the science of mercury has grown rapidly to include the fields of biogeochemistry, economics, sociology, public health, decision sciences, physics, global change, and mathematics. Only recently have scientists begun to establish a holistic approach to studying mercury pollution that integrates chemistry, biology, and human health sciences. Mercury in the Environment follows the process of mercury cycling through the atmosphere, through terrestrial and aquatic food webs, and through human populations to develop a comprehensive perspective on this important environmental problem. This timely reference also provides recommendations on mercury remediation, risk communication, education, and monitoring.

About this title

From the Back Cover

The book provides a very comprehensive synthesis of the key aspects of the mercury cycle in the global environment. It highlights major recent findings related to mercury emissions from anthropogenic and natural sources, to atmospheric transport and deposition processes and the fate of  mercury in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.  Special attention is devoted to human exposure and remediation strategies and the implications of these for environmental justice and policy.

The publication of this book is timely and will contribute to the current debate on future research and policy initiatives to be undertaken with regard to mercury pollution. It will certainly support the ongoing work of the UNEP Fate and Transport Global Partnership (UNEP F&T) in its effort to contribute to the preparation of the technical report for the Intergovernmental Negotiation Committee (INC). The INC is responsible for the preparation of the draft of the legally binding instrument for mercury that will be submitted for consideration at the next UNEP Governing Council in 2013, and therefore the publication of this book is certainly a valuable contribution to this important event.   
Reading this book I have very much appreciated the efforts of the editor and contributing authors to address key scientific issues with a socio-political context and human dimension, it will certainly be of great interest for students, policy makers and stakeholders.

Dr. Nicola Pirrone

Chair of the UNEP F&T
Director of the Institute of Atmospheric Pollution Research, Rome, Italy
Adjunct Professor, Department of Environmental and Health Sciences-SPH, University of Michigan

About the Author

Dr. Michael S. Bank is a Researcher at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0520271637
• ISBN 13: 9780520271630
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 360
• Editor: Bank Michael S.