"Sick building syndrome" results mainly from tightly sealed, poorly ventilated buildings with low levels of airborne pollutants. This article describes the problem at a Pennsylvania elementary school, examines roles of specific contaminants, and discusses credibility problems, prescriptions, and preventive measures. Insets explain causes…

Reviews reports on efforts to improve the Communist Chinese natural environment. National campaigns for water and air pollution control, sanitation improvement, and industrial development are related to Mao Tse-tung's philosophy of frugality and comprehensive resource use. Concern is expressed regarding possible ecological consequences from…

Community Health and Environmental Surveillance System (CHESS), a nationwide program relating community health to environmental quality, is designed to evaluate existing environmental standards, obtain health intelligence for new standards, and document health benefits of air pollution control. (BL)

Environmental influences can significantly affect (both positively and negatively) the developing child. Three ways in which the environment affects the developing organism are induction, facilitation, and maintenance. In the case of induction the presence or absence of specific stimuli totally determines whether or not a particular developmental…

Discusses the nature and cause of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). Includes toxic dinoflagellate ecology, taxonomy and life history, and chemistry of the toxins. Recent work with trace metals and directions of future research are also given. (MA)

The author calls for a total health care and environmental health policy to be established nationally. His concern is with improving the quality of the environment with today's technology and thereby improving the health of the population. The emphasis is on preventive health care rather than the control of illness. (MA)

This third volume of the 1981 Report of the Select Panel for the Promotion of Child Health presents a compendium of background data on various aspects of maternal and child health in the United States. The volume is divided into two sections. Section I consists of six chapters of text and Section II consists of 120 tables. The text is designed to…

Discusses the need for improving environmental services and environmental conditions in penal and correctional institutions. (JR)

Proposes an international research laboratory to investigate environmental factors in human health. By international cooperation unnecessary duplication and waste of resources can be avoided and long-term studies can examine various world-wide environments. (JM)

Understanding the origins of racial health disparities is currently a central focus of health-oriented funding agencies and the health policy community. In particular, the role of genetics in the origin of racial health disparities is receiving growing attention and has been susceptible to considerable misinterpretation. In this article, the…

The author looks at the sharp increase in a number of childhood disorders--including asthma, certain cancers, and learning/behavioral disabilities--and the role environmental toxins may play in this increase. He describes the need to train many more health professionals in prenatal and children's environmental health and the national network of…

Sources of noises affecting schools and their hindrance of learning are presented. Noise levels for different activities are tabled and possible methods for controlling such noises are suggested. Internal to the school, shop and music levels are the most severe. More care in site selection and design considerations are recommended. (LS)

Traces the interrelationships among dependence, environmental degradation, and human health in the Rio Grande Valley of Mexico and Texas. Presents a case study on environmental factors threatening family health in households located on both sides of the border; the health problems can be overcome by addressing restrictive zoning, health services,…

The incidence of mental retardation among the poor and the reasons for such high prevalence are the focus of the text which is based largely on the state of New Jersey. Mental retardation is viewed as a social pathology which thrives in the ghetto; the effects of poverty and racial prejudice are explored as are the assessment of intelligence and…

The polarization of organized labor v environmentalists on the political scene is discussed. The angry workers claim that environmentalists in their zeal for cleaning up the air and water and protecting wildlife are throwing people out of work. (Author/SA)