Introduction

This is the first book for nurses on how the environment affects nursing practice. Nurses should be concerned with environmental issues for two reasons: 1. Many diseases (such as asthma, lead poisoning, and some cancers) are caused by exposures to toxins in the environment; and 2. Hospitals themselves are sources of pollutants, through release of mercury and dioxin (a byproduct of incinerating plastic PVC products).

The book includes information on basic environmental health principles and common environmental health hazards (e.g., in our water, air, schools, hospitals, and homes). It offers a patient assessment tool for exposure to these hazards and strategies for ìgreenerî use of hospital resources. This is both a nursing textbook and a practice manual.