Miscellaneous Farm Toxicological and Environmental Hazards
摘要
This chapter covers numerous other hazards that may occur on farms and in rural communities that the practitioner should have familiarity with as their patients may be exposed to these hazards. These hazards may occur from natural sources (e.g., radon and naturally occurring metals that may contaminate wells), use of products within homes and buildings (e.g., lead pipes, asbestos), use of chemicals on farms (e.g., pesticides, fuels, veterinary pharmaceuticals) and runoff of chemicals and microbes (fertilizer, manure and sewage) that may contaminate personal water supplies as well as the surrounding environments. Many of these agents may cause adverse health impacts ranging from mild symptoms to death from acute exposure (e.g., green tobacco sickness (GTS), lead (Pb), pesticides) to chronic health effects such as cancer and Parkinson’s disease (asbestos, radon, pesticides). In addition, farm/rural families are being plagued with the scourges of illicit substance use like their urban counterparts. This chapter will cover many of these topics which may have only been mentioned in passing in the rural practitioner’s medical training but may have a significant impact in the rural community where he/she lives and works.