Animals as Sentinels of Environmental Health Hazards

Studying animals in the environment may be a realistic and highly beneficial approach to identifying unknown chemical contaminants before they cause human harm. Animals as Sentinels of Environmental Health Hazards presents an overview of animal-monitoring programs, including detailed case studies of how animal health problems--such as the effects of DDT on wild bird populations--have led researchers to the sources of human health hazards. The authors examine the components and characteristics required for an effective animal-monitoring program, and they evaluate numerous existing programs, including in situ research, where an animal is placed in a natural setting for monitoring purposes.

• Front Matter
• Executive Summary
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Concepts and Definitions
• 3. Food Animals as Sentinels
• 4. Companion Animals as Sentinels
• 5. Fish and Other Wildlife as Sentinels
• 6. Animal Sentinels in Risk Assessment
• 7. Selection and Application of Animal Sentinel Systems in Risk Assessment
• 8. Conclusions and Recommendations
• References
• Appendix: May 1988 Workshop Participants