Book reviews

E n v i r o n m e n t a l D a t a R e p o r t

Prepared for United Nations Environment Programme (by) Monitoring and Assessment Research Centre, London, England. Published 1987 by Basil Blackwell Ltd., Oxford and New York. ISBN 0-631-15684-4 352 pp.

The United Nations Environment Programme has as part of its mandate the task of coordinating and sup- porting monitoring the globe environment. The pro- jects of the Global Environment Monitoring System have contributed a wide environmental pollution and resource database and it is from these data that this compendium has been compiled. Production was the responsibility of the Monitoring and Assessment Re- search Centre in London University where the report data are held in computer files. The Report consists of 10 parts with appendices. Each part comprises a com- mentary interspersed with tabulated material. The topics covered are Environmental Pollution, Climate, Natural Resources, Population/Settlements, Human Health, Energy, Transport/Tourism, Wastes, Natural Disasters/Accidents/Military Activities and Interna- tional Cooperation. Subscribers to this journal will not need reminding that, to quote from the book's fore- ward, "The environment of our planet, under threat

. . is one of our most precious possessions." Perusal of the data in the tables drives home the point that our use and abuse of the environment is very varied globally.

This journal is dedicated to the study of the subtle relationship between environmental geochemistry and health. It is chastening to discover that protein energy malnutrition is the most widespread condition affecting the health of populations throughout the world. Yet in many developed countries cardiovascular diseases account for as much as half the mortality. For example, in 1980 male mortality (per 105) for Ischaemic Heart Disease was 54 in Japan, 27 in England and Wales and only 8 in the USA. "Physician density" is another in- teresting statistic (again 1980 and rate per 105): Ethiopia 0.14; England and Wales 15.2; USA 18.23. In developing countries access to safe drinking water (% population) was only 12% in Afghanistan or 14% in Mall compared with 100% in Cyprus or Singapore. Other tables demonstrate our very patchy use of our environment. In 1981/1983 British use of fertilizers was 356 kg ha -~, in the Netherlands 767 kg ha -~ but in Zaire and Guinea each nation used only 1 kg ha -~, In

~5 1984 total energy consumption was only 2 • 10 joules in Burundi compared with 66149 x 1015 joules in the USA. Table after table highlights the differences be- tween the haves and have nots.

The weakest area concerns the soil mantle, a pre- cious resource which renews itself in geological not human timespans. Part 3 provides information on land distribution, agricultural production and fertilizer use. But there is nothing on salinisation or erosion, both a significant problem in many countries. What about lime usage, fertility status or pollution damage? One hopes that future editions will include such material.

Nonetheless, this is a truly useful compendium and the compilers are to be congratulated on a job well

done. The tables are cleaL the coa~ent we!~ orgamsed. The only thing I fail to understand is why, for a book dedicated to providing data for use not decoration, it was necessary to record such a stringent copyright res- triction: "except for the quotation of short passages for the purposes of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, s t o r e d . . , or transmit- t ed , . . in any form or by any means . ~ F

BED November 6, 1987 Bradford

T r a c e E l e m e n t s in the T e r r e s t r i a l E n v i r o n m e n t .

D.C. Adriano 1986 99 figs. XiX, 533 pp. i-lard cover, DM 228, Berlin-Heidelberg-New York-Tokyo: Springer-Verlag ISBN 3-540-96158-5

Among the books on trace elements on my shelves, this latest edition will undoubtedly be one of the more frequently consulted. Dr. Adriano is to be congratu- lated in producing a text which is comprehensive yet is not a lifeless catalogue: it is eminently readable.

There are 14 chapters, the first being a general intro- duction. The next twelve chapters deal successively with arsenic, boron, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, sele- nium and zinc. Chapter 14 cevers a further ten ele- ments including the two micro-nutrients cobalt and fluorine. Each chapter is organised on the same plan. It starts with the properties and use of the element and follows with a discussion of its natural occurrence which then leads into aspects of the element in the soil plant system. Finally, the environmental implications of each element are considered. There are two appendices. One lists the scientific names of plants and other organ- isms mentioned in the text and the second appendix is a glossary of specialistic soil science: terms.

A positive aspect of this book is that it: is of wide and general use. Some trace element texts have been li- mited by their focus on a single application such as agriculture or pollution or geology. But Dr. Adriano has adopted a much more balanced approach and the book can be read by agronomists or ecologists or en- viromnental scientists, all of whom wi]I find in it mate- rial of use and interest. There are occasional small errors in the text but in a book of over 500 pages the occasional lapse is forgiveable. The illustrations are all clear and apposite. The tex~ would have benefitted by the judicious use of some colour plates since illustra- tions of selected plant deficiency symptoms would have increased the w31ume's generM usefulness~ Although fluorineis discussed in chapter !4. neither iodine nor bromine are considered. This is a pity since both are of biological interest. Similarly the lack of a discussion of the radionucleides is a weakness Accidents such as Chernobyl or ~he recent problem in Brazil following the unauthorised opening of medical apparatus remind us of the importance of these elements, yet they rarely have a proper airing in a general trace element text.

Despite some reservation about the book. it is un- doubtedly welt and comprehensively written. It certain- ly deserves shelf space in any professionaFs personal library.

BED November 9, 1987 Bradford