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What is Medical Geology?G
ater leaching trace elements as it percolates through rocks and soils
eology may appear remote from human health. However, rocks are the fundamental building blocks of the Earth's surface, containing many important minerals and elements. Most elements are taken into the human body in air, food and water. Rocks are broken down by the weathering processes to form the soils on which crops and animals are raised, w
, and much of the dust and some of the gases contained in the atmosphere are of geological origin.
Medical Geology is concerned with the relationship between natural geological factors and human and animal health, as well as with improving our understanding of the influence of environmental factors on the geographical distribution of health problems. Medical Geology brings together geoscientists and medical/public health researchers to address health problems caused, or exacerbated by geologic materials (rocks, minerals and water) and geologic processes including volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and atmospheric dust.
IMGA
In January 2006 the International Medical Geology Association, IMGA, was formed. The association has now about 400 members from 60 countries, several local and regional chapters and divisions, and a regular international conference every two years. IMGA has managed to link geoscience and medical science and we are often invited to international medical conferences for medical geology sessions and keynote speeches. A couple of books have been published and a large number of scientific papers in geological and medical journals have been published. A regular bi annual newsletter on CD is produced, as well as regular email newsletters to all members. IMGA was also responsible for the health activities within International Year of Planet Earth, proclaimed by the United Nations.
Objectives!Practitioners of medical geology have four principal responsibilities.
!To identify the environmental causes of known health problems and in collaboration with biomedical/public health researchers, seek solutions to prevent or minimize these problems.
!To identify geochemical anomalies in soils, sediments, and water that may impact on health.
!To reassure the public when there are unwarranted environmental health concerns deriving from geologic materials or processes.
!To evaluate the beneficial health affects of geologic materials and processes.
Output:Website (http://www.medicalgeology.org)! Biennial newsletter, Information flyers! Short courses on Metals, Health and the Environment ! Refereed journal articles! Academic Press book published in 2005. 820 pages in
full colour. 60 international authors. Several international awards.
! New book published by Springer in 2010 on medical geology all over the world
! Regular international conferences! Keynote speeches and special sessions at various
international medical and geological conferences
Concentration of element
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MEDICAL GEOLOGY
For more information:
Element Deficiency Toxicity
Iron Anaemia
Anaemia“Sway back”
Dwarf growthRetarded development of gonadsAkrodermatitis enteropathica
Anaemia“White liver disease”
Dysfunction of the gonadsConvulsionsMalformations of the skeletonUrolithiasis
Disturbances in the glucose metabolism
Liver necrosis
Haenichromatosis
Chronic copper poisoningWilson, Bedlington disease
Metallic feverDiarrhoea
Heart failurePolycythaemia
Ataxia
Kidney damage (Nephritis)
“Alkali disease”Muscular dystrophy “Blind staggers”
Copper
Zinc
Cobalt
Magnesium
Chromium
Selenium
FUTURE:Short courses in medical geology all around the world will continue.!Medical geology, or Earth and Health, was a priorityarea in Planet Earth, the UN/IUGS/UNESCO initiative!Medical Geology is included in curricula at universities!Many national chapters established!Close collaboration established between geoscientists, medics, epidemiologists, toxicologists, pathologists etc etc
Direct links between geology and health are provided by the food chain and by inhalation of atmospheric dusts and gases.
Diseases associated with deficiency and toxicity of an element.
Olle Selinus Co chair geoscienceGeological Survey of Sweden, Sweden
Nelly Manay co chair medical scienceDpt of Toxicology and Environmental Hygiene, Uruguay
Http://www.medicalgeology.org
Dose response curve
Goiter due to iodine deficiency
Selenium deficiency - Kashin-Beck Disease
Jose A. Centeno ChairmanUS Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
Check us out at:
Photos courtesy of Jose Centeno.
High levels of arsenic in drinkingwater cause serious health problemsfor many millions of people in Asia.Improving the situation requires closestudy of the source rocks from whichthe arsenic is being leached into thegroundwater, as well as the conditionsunder which the arsenic is being mobilized.Answers to these and related questionsare vital if public health authorities areto identify aquifers with similar character/istics so that populations at risk from arsenicexposure can be more accurately determined.(Phototograph by courtesy of the Natural EnvironmentResearch Council, U.K.)
SHORT COURSES IN MEDICAL GEOLOGY:Scientists in both developed and developing countries are brought together toaddress this global issue. One effective way of doing this is by running internationalshort training courses.Workshops are highly effective in ensuring that the most recentinformation on the relationship between metals, trace elements, and their impacton environmental and public health is widely disseminated
'Geopharmacy', Geophagia: soil-based medicines for internal consumption on sale in Kampala, Uganda (Photograph: Peter W. Abrahams).
Exposure to Arsenic fromDomestic Coal-Combustion(Guizhou Province, P.R. China)
Taiwan
Health Effectsfrom exposure to excessfluorine
Dental Fluorosis
SkeletalFluorosis
Guizhou Province, China
(Photographs: Courtesy of Prof. Dr. Baoshan Zheng)
Dave Elliott, EditorGeosgil Consulting Ltd, Calgary, Canada
Http://www.medicalgeology.org
Diseases associated with toxicity due to the excess of an element
