This handbook contains chapters that are arranged in nine sections, each representing a particular theme and representing diversity of biogenic compounds and pollutants impinging on human health and ecotoxicity.

Persistent equivocation in virtually all sections of society and industry about the harmful effects of pollution have provided the impetus for the publication of A Handbook of Environmental Toxicology: Human Disorders and Ecotoxicology. This chapter is designed to collate and analyse recent...

This chapter discusses the role of amino acids and peptides in mediating abiotic stress tolerance in higher plants. The pathways involved in plant responses to abiotic stress (such as salinity, ambient temperature, drought, acid rain, anoxia and heavy metal contamination) are highly complex,...

It is instructive to evaluate recent evidence as presented in the preceding chapters of this volume. It is immediately clear that significant advances have been reported on the mainstream biochemistry of all the major families of amino acids in a diverse range of microorganisms. Emerging...

Cyanobacteria are capable of producing a wide range of low-molecular-weight toxic compounds, largely identified as a result of poisoning incidents and through meticulous screening of cyanobacterial strains and blooms. Their molecular modes of action vary and can include hepatotoxic and neurotoxic...

Exposure to the ubiquitous pollutant gas, ozone, is linked to a range of respiratory problems. Inhaled ozone that reaches the alveoli will first encounter the fluid lining these, known as lung surfactant. Lung surfactant is a complex mixture of lipids and proteins and is essential as it lowers the...

Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) is produced in certain industrial processes. Point exposure to high concentration of NO₂ (>100 ppm), such as in silo filler's disease and during chemical warfare, produces acute lung injury, and death in the worst cases. Acute exposure to lower concentration of NO₂ (0.5-15 ...

Large amounts of sulfur dioxide are released into the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels, by power plants and industrial facilities that utilize it for making chemicals like sulfuric acid, pesticides, preservatives, wine and other beverages. Atmospheric sulfur dioxide is itself an enormous ...

Acid rain is known as the 'air killer' because of its devastating damage to the ecosystem. As the major factor in the terrestrial ecosystem, the toxic effect of acid rain on plants has attracted more attention of researchers. The loss in agriculture and forestry caused by acid rain aggravates the...

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans are a group of aromatic hydrocarbons, emitted mostly from anthropogenic sources, that have negative effects on human health. Chlorine and carbon compounds, in combination with temperature and combustion processes, are the main...