VOLUME 1: ELEMENT OCCURRENCE, DISTRIBUTION AND BEHAVIOUR IN THE ENVIRONMENT
The periodic system of the elements
Elements in the universe, the solar system and on planet Earth
Elements and minerals
Natural element cycles
Chemical compounds in the atmosphere
Chemical composition and dynamics of the pedosphere
Elements and elemental compounds in the hydrosphere
Elements and compounds in marine and terrestrial sediments
Macro, trace and ultra-trace elements in the biosphere and in the food chain
Environmental pollution and the anthroposphere
Elements and compounds in materials and waste
Elements and compounds at abandoned industrial sites
Elements and their compounds in indoor environments
Toxicity of elements
Essentiality, tolerance and toxicity of metals and metal compounds
Metallothionein and metal transporters
Metal implants
Influence of metals on DNA
Cellular mechanisms for balancing biological activity
Metal toxicity from electronics waste
Bioanalytical evaluation of metal and metalloid toxicity
Bioavailability and bioaccessibility of metals and mixed metals
Medical intervention, treatment of metal poisoning; acute and chronic toxicity
Risk assessment and guideline values
Use of elements for medical treatment and diagnosis
Remediation strategies
VOLUME 2: THE ELEMENTS IN DETAIL
Each element, from Hydrogen (1) to Lawrencium (103) is covered in alphabetical order, providing information on the following element-specific properties:
- Physical properties, incl. isotopes
- Chemical properties
- Important minerals, mining, production, uses, import/export
- Emissions/releases into the environment (natural and anthropogenic: uses, waste products)
- Distribution in the different environmental compartments (concentration ranges, enrichment, depletion in lithosphere, pedosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere with concentration in both biota and food, atmosphere)
- Potential for environmental exposure, primary routes of exposure, incl. occupational exposure
- Health effects and toxicological data for selected species (uptake, absorption and elimination in plants, mammals, fishes and humans, and effects on biota
- Relevance to public health (body burden, summary of health effects from epidemiological studies; reference dose/tolerable intake limits; deficiency and essentiality; most vulnerable populations; most vulnerable populations
- Extreme examples of pollution in the environment
- Regulations and advisories (Guidelines and limiting concentrations of air, water, soil and food)
- Analytical methods and challenges
- Economic aspects
