Essentials of Environmental Epidemiology for Health Protection guides front line public health practitioners through the decisions they are likely to face when dealing with environmental health problems. It does this by showing how to integrate relevant aspects of environmental science, communication sciences, toxicology, and most importantly environmental epidemiology skills to conduct initial investigations which encompass all relevant issues.

The book uses a problem orientated style, using case studies, to provide practical examples of how to plan and carry out investigations or research projects. It emphasises the scoping and planning stages of a study in order to avoid common pitfalls, and includes discussions of the limitations of epidemiological studies, how to communicate with the public and funders, ethics and handling large datasets. Through the case studies the book also covers the practice of environmental public health in developed countries.

Each chapter is written by knowledgeable practitioners in the topic, making Essentials of Environmental Epidemiology for Health Protection essential reading for all professionals in environmental public health in the UK and abroad.

Section 1 Identifying the problem
1. Introduction to Environmental Epidemiology for Health Protection, illustrated with a case study on lead through the ages, Irene A. Kreis
2. Epidemiology of environmental hazards, illustrated with a case study on landfill concerns and water (acute and chronic issues), Giovanni Leonardi
3. Literature reviews, systematic but how and why? Illustrated with case studies on dioxin, Irene A. Kreis and David Cromwell
4. Communication in epidemiological studies, illustrated with a case study on a gas-factory terrain clean-up, Fred Woudenberg
5. Identifying and dealing with high-risk groups systematically and transparently, illustrated with a case study on Q fever, Harrie van Dijk and Wilfried Notten
6. Health registers as a tool for disaster epidemiology, illustrated with a case study on a fireworks explosion, Oliver Morgan and Sue Odams
Section 2 Assessing the problems and developing a scoping study
7. Environmental measurements, illustrated with a case study on ambient air pollution, Sotiris Vardoulakis
8. Exposure assessment for epidemiology, illustrated with a case study on air quality in schools, Ariana Zeka
9. Toxicology and its practical use in chemical incident response, illustrated with a case study on mercury, Virginia Murray and Rachel MacLehose
10. Risk assessment, illustrated with a case study on carcass removal in a Foot & Mouth epidemic, Raquel Duarte-Davidson
11. Real-time syndromic surveillance, illustrated with a case study on an oil depot explosion, Sam Bracebridge, Alex Elliot, and Gillian Smith
12. Routine data, illustrated with a case study on carbon monoxide, Rebecca Close, Mike Studden, Araceli Busby, and Giovanni Leonardi
13. Geographic Information Services (GIS), illustrated with a case study on Legionaires' disease outbreak, Leslie Jones
Section 3 Environmental epidemiology design and problem analysis
14. Study designs for public health investigations: basic concepts and practice, illustrated with a case study on asthma, Irene A. Kreis and David Cromwell
15. Field epidemiology: logistics, illustrated with case studies on a Legionella outbreak and a child blood lead survey, Helen Maguire,Irene.A. Kreis, and Virginia Murray
16. Data quality, illustrated with a case study on congenital eye defects, Araceli Busby
17. Applied statistical techniques, illustrated with case studies on a cancer cluster and PCB in human milk, Dominik Zenner
18. Ethics in environmental epidemiology, illustrated with a case study on lead levels in children, Sue Odams
Section 4 Special topics
19. Cluster investigations, illustrated with a case study on childhood leukaemia in a cut-flower community, Marjon Drijver, Araceli Busby, and Irene A. Kreis
20. Occupational epidemiology, illustrated with a case study on bladder cancer, Virginia Murray
21. Radiation, illustrated with case studies on extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields and radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, Colin Muirhead and Jill Meara
22. Heatwave plan evaluation, Catriona Carmichael and Graham Bickler
23. Analysis of mental health impacts of flooding, Carla Stanke
24. Chemical Incidents, illustrated with a case study on an oil depot explosion, Virginia Murray
25. Odours incidents and epidemiology, illustrated with a case study on trans-border transmissions, Helen Smethurst
26. Decision model for an investigation, illustrated with a case study on odours and dust, Irene A. Kreis and David A. Griffiths
Index