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INTERCONNECTIONS BETWEEN HUMAN HEALTH AND ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY
Citation:
Di Giulio, R. T. AND W H. Benson. INTERCONNECTIONS BETWEEN HUMAN HEALTH AND ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY. In Proceedings, Pellston Workshop - Human Health Interconnections, Snowbird, UT, June 10 - 15, 2000. SETAC Press, Pensacola, FL, 136, (2003).
Impact/Purpose:
The goal of this workshop was, with a small group of natural and social scientists, to initiate substantive yet broadly considered explorations of these interconnections, including creative, interdisciplinary approaches for solving environmental problems at this interface.
Description:
Interconnections between Human Health and Ecological Integrity emanates from a June 2000 Pellston Workshop in Snowbird, Utah, USA. Jointly sponsored by the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) and the Society of Toxicology (SOT), the workshop was motivated by the deep concern of many human health, environmental, and social scientists for the interconnections between the well-being of natural ecosystems and human health. While many consider these interconnections to be intuitive and of great importance, current scientific research, regulations, and policies do not substantively take them into account.
The goal of this workshop was, with a small group of natural and social scientists, to initiate substantive yet broadly considered explorations of these interconnections, including creative, interdisciplinary approaches for solving environmental problems at this interface. Major themes included these: 1.) The biological bases of similarities and differences between human and ecosystem "health," such as mechanistic links underlying shared susceptibilities to environmental stressors; 2.) How the environment shapes the human sense of well-being and vice versa, including considerations of environmental justice, psychological perceptions, and
mental health; 3.) Ecosystem buffering capacity and assimilative capacity versus human health, including links among land-use patterns, ecological degradation, and human health; 4.) Implication of human health -ecological integrity interconnections for policymaking, including the integration and harmonization of human and ecological risk assessments.
The workshop organizers and participants hope that this book provides a meaningful starting point for future discussions in these areas, for continued collaboration and communication across the natural and social sciences, and ultimately for the integrations of human health and ecosystem protection.