Health and Environment Information Systems for Exposure and Disease Mapping, and Risk Assessment

Abstract

A large number of chemicals are used on a regular basis in modern society. Thousands of new chemicals are added each year, many of which may have toxic properties constituting potential health hazards. Rapid assessment of the risk associated with the use of these chemicals is therefore essential to protect people from exposure to potentially harmful substances. Exposures to chemicals (and physical agents) are typically unevenly distributed geographically as well as temporally. Disease occurrence also shows geographically varying patterns. Geographic information systems (GIS) may be used to produce maps of exposure and/or disease to reveal spatial patterns. Exposure mapping using advanced GIS modeling may enhance exposure assessment in environmental epidemiology studies. Disease maps can be valuable tools in risk assessment to explore changes in disease patterns potentially associated with changes in environmental exposures. Spatial variations in risk and trends related to distance from pollution sources may be studied using software tools such as the Rapid Inquiry Facility, developed by the U.K. Small Area Health Statistics Unit and enhanced in the European Health and Environment Information System project, for an initial quick evaluation of any potential health hazards associated with an environmental pollutant.

Geographical Distribution and Cluster Detection of Childhood Leukemia in the Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara, Mexico

“…Geographic location of disease cases can be a crucial first step in identifying and eventually preventing the source of disease outbreaks. The GIS may be used to manage the modeling and mapping of disease, to develop a new hypothesis in a geographic context, to analyze and predict future disease risks, and to undertake location/allocation analysis on the distribution of services and resources 31,32 .…”

Health impact assessment of exposure to transport emissions in Flanders: methodology study

“…Using a GIS it is possible to integrate these data, to export them to calculation sheets and to visualize them geographically [49]. Maps are valuable tools in risk assessment, because of their ability to explore (spatial) changes in disease patterns associated with air pollution exposure [50].…”

Electrospun Nanofiber-Based Sensors

“…Environmental pollution caused by industry and agriculture activities, which include toxic gases (formaldehyde, HCl, NH 3 , NO x , etc. ), organic contaminants (phenol, H 2 O 2 , nitrobenzene, dyes, etc.…”

“…), organophosphorus compounds (pesticides, insecticides), and heavy metal ions (Pb(II), Hg(II), As(III), Cd(VI), etc. ), poses a significant risk to environmental security and human health [1][2][3]. For instance, heavy metal ion contamination has attracted widespread concern since it can cause systemic disorders and accumulate in the human body, eventually leading to enormous damage to human health.…”