Description
Medical Geology of Africa explores the connection between geological materials, processes and the health of humans and animals. The book fosters an improved understanding of the ways in which the geological environment impacts the geographical distribution of health problems and how they contribute to better diagnoses and therapy. Africa's unique geoenvironmental condition gives added relevance to such studies, underlining the need for geoscience and public health students and practitioners to understand new principles and applications. Chapters in the book provide extended enquiry-based investigations and examples that employ real geochemical datasets, epidemiological records, public health statistics and visualizations.- Provides a summary of current research on Medical Geology of Africa- Identifies gaps in knowledge of the role of the geo-environment in deciphering unknown aetiologies- Assembles the most recent literature on current thematic issues, and prescribes directions of future research
Table of Contents
Part I Some topical issues in medical geology of Africa: current knowledge and research gaps1. General introduction2. Project selection, proposal writing and reporting (dissertation or thesis) in medical geology3. Geoenvironmental variables as causal co-factors of diseases of unknown aetiology in Africa4. Environmental health impacts of geogenic source pollution in Africa5. Combatting effects of ionising radiation exposure around uranium and gold mines in subsaharan Africa6. Geophagic practices in AfricaPart II An exposition of some geomedically important elements, with Africa case descriptions7. Introduction8. Medical geology of arsenic9. Medical geology of fluorine10. Medical geology of iodine11. Medical geology of lead12. Medical geology of manganese13. Medical geology of mercury14. Medical geology of selenium15. Medical geology of zincPart III Conclusion16. General conclusion17. Conclusion: medical geology in Africa - future perspectives and prospects
