3 results
Contributors
-
- By Tod C. Aeby, Melanie D. Altizer, Ronan A. Bakker, Meghann E. Batten, Anita K. Blanchard, Brian Bond, Megan A. Brady, Saweda A. Bright, Ellen L. Brock, Amy Brown, Ashley Carroll, Jori S. Carter, Frances Casey, Weldon Chafe, David Chelmow, Jessica M. Ciaburri, Stephen A. Cohen, Adrianne M. Colton, PonJola Coney, Jennifer A. Cross, Julie Zemaitis DeCesare, Layson L. Denney, Megan L. Evans, Nicole S. Fanning, Tanaz R. Ferzandi, Katie P. Friday, Nancy D. Gaba, Rajiv B. Gala, Andrew Galffy, Adrienne L. Gentry, Edward J. Gill, Philippe Girerd, Meredith Gray, Amy Hempel, Audra Jolyn Hill, Chris J. Hong, Kathryn A. Houston, Patricia S. Huguelet, Warner K. Huh, Jordan Hylton, Christine R. Isaacs, Alison F. Jacoby, Isaiah M. Johnson, Nicole W. Karjane, Emily E. Landers, Susan M. Lanni, Eduardo Lara-Torre, Lee A. Learman, Nikola Alexander Letham, Rachel K. Love, Richard Scott Lucidi, Elisabeth McGaw, Kimberly Woods McMorrow, Christopher A. Manipula, Kirk J. Matthews, Michelle Meglin, Megan Metcalf, Sarah H. Milton, Gaby Moawad, Christopher Morosky, Lindsay H. Morrell, Elizabeth L. Munter, Erin L. Murata, Amanda B. Murchison, Nguyet A. Nguyen, Nan G. O’Connell, Tony Ogburn, K. Nathan Parthasarathy, Thomas C. Peng, Ashley Peterson, Sarah Peterson, John G. Pierce, Amber Price, Heidi J. Purcell, Ronald M. Ramus, Nicole Calloway Rankins, Fidelma B. Rigby, Amanda H. Ritter, Barbara L. Robinson, Danielle Roncari, Lisa Rubinsak, Jennifer Salcedo, Mary T. Sale, Peter F. Schnatz, John W. Seeds, Kathryn Shaia, Karen Shelton, Megan M. Shine, Haller J. Smith, Roger P. Smith, Nancy A. Sokkary, Reni A. Soon, Aparna Sridhar, Lilja Stefansson, Laurie S. Swaim, Chemen M. Tate, Hong-Thao Thieu, Meredith S. Thomas, L. Chesney Thompson, Tiffany Tonismae, Angela M. Tran, Breanna Walker, Alan G. Waxman, C. Nathan Webb, Valerie L. Williams, Sarah B. Wilson, Elizabeth M. Yoselevsky, Amy E. Young
- Edited by David Chelmow, Virginia Commonwealth University, Christine R. Isaacs, Virginia Commonwealth University, Ashley Carroll, Virginia Commonwealth University
-
- Book:
- Acute Care and Emergency Gynecology
- Published online:
- 05 November 2014
- Print publication:
- 30 October 2014, pp ix-xiv
-
- Chapter
- Export citation
Introduction
- Edited by Jay E. Austin, Carl E. Bruch
-
- Book:
- The Environmental Consequences of War
- Published online:
- 04 August 2010
- Print publication:
- 26 October 2000, pp 379-383
-
- Chapter
- Export citation
-
Summary
The public health impacts of war often directly correspond to the various ecological consequences described in the previous section. The use of conventional weapons results in impacts such as pollution, depletion of resources, and destruction of vital health-related infrastructure, and frequently causes severe collateral damage to civilian health. In addition, the production, testing, use, and even dismantling of weapons of mass destruction can release deadly toxins with widespread health effects.
Many of the same methodological constraints and scientific uncertainties that impede accurate prediction and assessment of ecological impacts also plague the process of determining the causes and extent of public health damage during war. The nature of the public health discipline also presents unique challenges to achieving accurate assessment and creating successful intervention strategies. The authors in this section address both the health impacts themselves, and reasons and possible solutions for these methodological difficulties.
Jennifer Leaning examines the discipline of public health itself, tracing the history of its relationship with violent conflict, including the more recent, specifically public-health-related challenges presented by many of the conflicts that have taken place since the Cold War. Alastair Hay focuses on the health-related impacts of the use of defoliants during the Vietnam War. Victor Sidel calls attention to the types of environmental and public health damage that result from preparations for war, and broadens the scope of inquiry through an assessment of the ramifications of “militarism” viewed broadly. Finally, David Fidler focuses on the alterations of the humanmicrobe relationship that result from wartime conditions as the basis forexploring the international legal framework for preventing and mitigating morbidity and mortality in wartime.
Introduction
- Edited by Jay E. Austin, Carl E. Bruch
-
- Book:
- The Environmental Consequences of War
- Published online:
- 04 August 2010
- Print publication:
- 26 October 2000, pp 297-302
-
- Chapter
- Export citation
-
Summary
Introduction
Scientific assessment of the environmental impacts of wrongful actions forms the evidentiary basis for any case – wartime or peacetime, civil or criminal – by establishing the nature and extent of the damages. Assessment of impacts also provides a basis for rehabilitation. The methods for evaluating damages and appropriate restoration measures are as numerous and varied as the impacts themselves. Experience has shown, however, that the reliability of most of these methods is problematic at best. The chapters in this section provide an overview of the various ecological consequences of wars, relying primarily on examples from the 1990–91 Gulf War. They also provide valuable insight into the issues surrounding scientific methods for predicting and assessing these consequences.
Most impacts of war are multi-faceted. Aerial bombardment, for example, obviously has dire effects on terrestrial ecosystems. However, it also often destroys civilian infrastructure, such as sewage treatment facilities and electrical plants, which is vital to maintaining clean water and air. Classifying such impacts can be extremely difficult. In his chapter, Asit Biswas categorizes the various impacts he addresses by media – water, land, air, and other natural resources – although he acknowledges that such boundaries are necessarily somewhat artificial. Similarly, Samira Omar et al. and Mahmood Abdulraheem focus their chapters on the impacts of the 1990–91 Gulf War on the terrestrial and marine resources of Kuwait, respectively. Finally, Jeffrey McNeely discusses how wartime impacts affect biodiversity. In the end, a very intricate overall picture emerges, one that reflects the complex nature of war itself.