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UNU e-Newsletter Issue 18. October 2006 A
book entitled Bioindicators of POPs
– Monitoring in Developing Countries authored by Prof. Shinsuke
Tanabe and Prof. Annamalai Subramanian of Ehime
University, Japan has been published jointly by Kyoto University Press, Japan
and Transpacific Press, Australia. The book has been designed primarily as a
broad treatment of the topics that may be useful for all those who are
involved in the monitoring of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) in developing countries. Even though there are many
books containing chapter(s) on the usage of bioindicators
for measuring different pollutants, this is the first book that is
exclusively dedicated to ‘bioindicators of
pollution by POPs’. The
book is divided into eight chapters. The first chapter is an overview on the
characteristics, production and usage of second generation pesticides and
other organochlorines. This chapter also explains
the bioindicator concept, the characteristics
required by a bioindicator of POPs
monitoring and the need for employment of such bioindicators,
especially in developing countries. Chapter
two illustrates the use of mussels as sentinels for POPs,
suitability of various species of mussels for such monitoring, the problems
that may be encountered during such monitoring surveys and the ways to
overcome such problems. The third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh chapters gives
detailed accounts of POPs monitoring using squids,
fish, birds, marine mammals and humans, respectively. The eighth and the
final chapter is on the criteria for selection and application of animal
sentinels for spatial and temporal monitoring which provides recommendations
and guidelines for efficient application of bioindicators. Both
the authors of the book are well known in the international arena of
scientists working on the monitoring of POPs
chemicals. Both of them have contributed considerably to this field of
investigations and worked in various capacities in different committees for POPs monitoring. This
newsletter is a quarterly bulletin made possible with the support of
Shimadzu, Japan |
