Description
Book SynopsisAerobiology is the study of airborne organic particulates in the environment, such as bacteria or fungal spores. These can be either naturally occurring or artificially introduced into the air. Some of the toxicological, pharmacological, and physiological effects of bioaerosols include infections, allergies, and cancer. Research efforts in aerobiology range from remediating household mould to combating bioterrorism. This book focusses on the toxicological aspects of aerobiology, considering the adverse health effects associated with the inhalation of specific bioaerosols, such as anthrax and ricin. Additionally, chapters cover techniques for generating, sampling and characterizing airborne biological materials as well as methods for establishing standards of exposure. Moreover, mitigation of exposure and protection against exposure are described. Bringing together the contemporary status of information in the area, this book will be a valuable reference book for pulmonary specialists, general practitioners of medicine, public health and public safety officers, first responders, military personnel, and students studying toxicology and related disciplines.
Table of ContentsThe atmosphere: Its development history and contributions to microbial evolution and habitat; Orthopoxiviruses and animal models for pathogenesis, vaccine and drug studies; Inhalational anthrax - Issues in dose-response and hazard evaulation; Toxicity of Botulinum Neurotoxin by inhalation: Implications in bioterrorism; The structural biology and biochemistry of the ricin toxin and the military use and inhalation toxicology of ricin aerosols; Bioaerosols in the environment: Populations, measurement and processes; Bacillus anthracis: An aerobiological threat; Detection of airborne pathogens and toxins; Aerobiological aspects of biological warefare; Aerosol physics for bioaerosols; Respiratory protection against some pathogens and toxins; An improved modelof human response to bioaerosol exposure; Aerosol exposure to pathogenic bacteria and virus particles: Standard operating procedure; Programming an agent-based model for disease dynamics with multiple sources of infection
