An Introduction to Medical Geology
Natural materials such as rocks, minerals, soil, natural dust, and uncontaminated water as well as geologic processes such as volcanoes and earthquakes have and continue to adversely impact health of people around the world. In this short course we will examine these geologic materials and processes to explore the varied and surprising ways they impact human and animal health, usually causing widespread and severe health problems but also producing unanticipated beneficial effects. Principal topics covered will include: basics of toxicology; an overview of geologic materials and processes; examples of how trace elements, minerals, and ambient dust impact human health; examples of how climate change may impact human health. Our aim is to provide a forum by which geoscientists and biomedical/public health researchers are teaming to find practical solutions to health problems associated with the geogenic environment.
Topics covered (tentative program):
- Introduction and Overview
- Introduction to the Origins of Global Medical Geology
- Metals in Human Physiology – Essentiality, Toxicity, Bioavailability and Risk Assessment
- Health Impacts of Climate Change – A Medical Geology Perspective
- Health Impacts of Dust, Soils, and Clay
- A Medical Geology Perspective of Arsenic as a Poison – Risk Assessment Approach
- Integrating Public Health, Earth Science, and Policy
- Population Health – An Epidemiological Approach
- Health Benefits of Rocks and Minerals and the Future of Medical Geology
When: Monday, 31 August, 2020 – 8:30-18:30
Where: Department of Earth & Geoenvironmental Sciences – University of Bari
Organised by: Jose A. Centeno (USA) Saverio Fiore (Italy)
Price: €100.00 (2 coffee break + quick lunch)
Training Credits: 8 hours – Certificate of participation
Lodging: info will be available soon
Buy: after 30 April
