Environmental Risk Assessment

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xii

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2. Natural and Anthropogenic Environmental Problems

   Pages 1-20

3. Restoration of lignite mining sites in the former GDR: lessons to be learnt from Zwenkau

   Pages 21-32

4. Carbon Dioxide Development and the Influence of Rising Groundwater in the Cospuden/Zwenkau Dump: Observations and Inferences

   Pages 33-47

5. Carbon Dioxide Development and the Influence of Rising Groundwater in the Cospuden/Zwenkau Dump: Quantitative Models

   Pages 49-65

6. Environmental and Economic Risks from Sinkholes in West-Central Florida

   Pages 67-79

7. Risks of Damage from Flooding Rivers: Correlation of Weakened Dyke Structures?

   Pages 81-95

8. Biological Remediation of Environmentally Contaminated Water

   Pages 97-127

9. Heavy Metal Contamination Removal by Bacterial Activity in Seeping Depositories

   Pages 129-149

10. Quantitative Risks of Death and Sickness from Toxic Contamination: General Population

    Pages 151-210

11. Quantitative Risks of Death and Sickness from Toxic Contamination: Age-Dependent Toxic Sickness/Death Exposure Limits

    Pages 211-231

12. Methods for Estimating Associated Risks of Sinkhole Occurrences with data from the Ruhr Valley Region of Germany

    Pages 233-252

13. Environmental Concerns: Catastrophic Events and Insurance

    Pages 253-276

14. Integrated Scientific and Economic Uncertainties in Environmental Hazard Assessments: Social and Political Consequences

    Pages 277-327

15. Back Matter

    Pages 329-343

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The world is a dirty place and getting dirtier all the time. The reasons for this ever-increasing lack of cleanliness are not hard to find, being basically caused by the actions of the six billion people who inhabit the planet. The needs of the people for air, water, food, housing, clothing, heating, materials, oil, gas, minerals, metals, chemicals, and so forth have, over the centuries, given rise to a variety of environmental problems that have been exacerbated or been newly created by the industrialization of the world, the increase in population, and the increase in longevity of the population. The costs of cleaning even fractions of the known environmental problems are truly enormous, as detailed in the volume Environmental Risk Analysis (I. Lerche and E. Paleologos, 2001, McGraw-Hill). The chances of causing new environmental problems, and their associated costs of clean up, are equally challenging in terms of anthropogenic influences and also of the natural environmental problems that can be triggered by humanity. This volume discusses many examples of environmental problems that have occurred and that are still ongoing. The volume also considers the effects in terms of sickness and death of fractions of the population of the planet caused by such environmental problems.

• Anthropogenic Influence
• Contamination
• Human Sickness
• Remediation
• Social consequences
• bacteria
• contaminants
• environmental risk assessment
• hazard
• human health
• ecotoxicology
• terrestrial pollution

From the reviews:

"This book deals with environment and human risk problems caused by contamination that have occurred and that are still ongoing. … For professionals in the field, seriously involved in remediation efforts, this volume provides a detailed set of procedures to analyse the scientific consequences of environmental problems. The volume should be of use to decision-makers in both government and private industry who are actively involved in balancing the social, economic, political, scientific, and health issues for the best benefits of the population." (International Journal of Environmental and Analytical Chemistry, Vol. 86, 2006)

• Institut für Geophysik und Geologie, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

  Ian Lerche, Walter Glaesser

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