TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine TI - Gulf War and Health: Updated Literature Review of Sarin SN - DO - 10.17226/11064 PY - 2004 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11064/gulf-war-and-health-updated-literature-review-of-sarin PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine KW - Conflict and Security Issues AB - The Gulf War in 1990-1991 was considered a brief and successful military operation, with few injuries or deaths of US troops. The war began in August 1990, and the last US ground troops returned home by June 1991. Although most Gulf War veterans resumed their normal activities, many soon began reporting a variety of nonexplained health problems that they attributed to their participation in the Gulf War, including chronic fatigue, muscle and joint pain, loss of concentration, forgetfulness, headache, and rash. Because of concerns about the veterans' health problems, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) requested that the Institute of Medicine (IOM) review the scientific and medical literature on the long-term adverse health effects of agents to which the Gulf War veterans may have been exposed. This report is a broad overview of the toxicology of sarin and cyclosarin. It assesses the biologic plausibility with respect to the compounds in question and health effects. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine A2 - Bernard M. Rosof A2 - Lyla M. Hernandez TI - Gulf War Veterans: Treating Symptoms and Syndromes SN - DO - 10.17226/10185 PY - 2001 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10185/gulf-war-veterans-treating-symptoms-and-syndromes PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine AB - Ten years after the end of the Gulf War, questions continue to be raised about the health of U.S. service personnel who fought in that war. A primary concern is whether Gulf War veterans are receiving effective treatments for their health problems. Section 105 of the Veterans Program Enhancement Act of 1998 mandates that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) ask the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to convene a committee that would identify a method for assessing treatment effectiveness and describe already-validated treatments for Gulf War veterans' health problems, including the problem of medically unexplained symptoms. The specific charge to the committee is to (1) identify and describe approaches for assessing treatment effectiveness; (2) identify illnesses and conditions among veterans of the Gulf War, using data obtained from the VA and the Department of Defense (DoD) Gulf War Registries, as well as information in published articles; and (3) for these identified conditions and illnesses, identify validated models of treatment (to the extent that such treatments exist), or identify new approaches, theories, or research on the management of patients with these conditions if validated treatment models are not available. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine TI - The Future of the Public's Health in the 21st Century SN - DO - 10.17226/10548 PY - 2003 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10548/the-future-of-the-publics-health-in-the-21st-century PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine AB - The anthrax incidents following the 9/11 terrorist attacks put the spotlight on the nation's public health agencies, placing it under an unprecedented scrutiny that added new dimensions to the complex issues considered in this report. The Future of the Public's Health in the 21st Century reaffirms the vision of Healthy People 2010, and outlines a systems approach to assuring the nation's health in practice, research, and policy. This approach focuses on joining the unique resources and perspectives of diverse sectors and entities and challenges these groups to work in a concerted, strategic way to promote and protect the public's health. Focusing on diverse partnerships as the framework for public health, the book discusses: The need for a shift from an individual to a population-based approach in practice, research, policy, and community engagement. The status of the governmental public health infrastructure and what needs to be improved, including its interface with the health care delivery system. The roles nongovernment actors, such as academia, business, local communities and the media can play in creating a healthy nation. Providing an accessible analysis, this book will be important to public health policy-makers and practitioners, business and community leaders, health advocates, educators and journalists. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine TI - Scientific and Policy Considerations in Developing Smallpox Vaccination Options: A Workshop Report SN - DO - 10.17226/10520 PY - 2002 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10520/scientific-and-policy-considerations-in-developing-smallpox-vaccination-options-a PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine KW - Conflict and Security Issues AB - At the World Health Assembly in May 1980, the World Health Organization declared the world free of smallpox. Smallpox vaccination of civilians is now indicated only for laboratory workers directly involved with smallpox or closely related orthopox viruses. However recent questions raised by the terrorist attacks in fall 2001 have renewed concerns about possible outbreaks of smallpox resulting from its use as a biological weapon. In June 2002, the Institute of Medicine convened a public conference to discuss the scientific, clinical, procedural, and administrative aspects of various immunization strategies. Scientific and Policy Considerations in Developing Smallpox Vaccination Options summarizes the presentations and discussions from this workshop. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine TI - Forging a Poison Prevention and Control System SN - DO - 10.17226/10971 PY - 2004 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10971/forging-a-poison-prevention-and-control-system PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine AB - Poisoning is a far more serious health problem in the U.S. than has generally been recognized. It is estimated that more than 4 million poisoning episodes occur annually, with approximately 300,000 cases leading to hospitalization. The field of poison prevention provides some of the most celebrated examples of successful public health interventions, yet surprisingly the current poison control “system” is little more than a loose network of poison control centers, poorly integrated into the larger spheres of public health. To increase their effectiveness, efforts to reduce poisoning need to be linked to a national agenda for public health promotion and injury prevention. Forging a Poison Prevention and Control System recommends a future poison control system with a strong public health infrastructure, a national system of regional poison control centers, federal funding to support core poison control activities, and a national poison information system to track major poisoning epidemics and possible acts of bioterrorism. This framework provides a complete “system” that could offer the best poison prevention and patient care services to meet the needs of the nation in the 21st century. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine TI - Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2002 SN - DO - 10.17226/10603 PY - 2003 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10603/veterans-and-agent-orange-update-2002 PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine KW - Conflict and Security Issues AB - This book updates and evaluates the available scientific evidence regarding statistical associations between diseases and exposure to dioxin and other chemical compounds in herbicides used in Vietnam, focusing on new scientific studies and literature. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine TI - Damp Indoor Spaces and Health SN - DO - 10.17226/11011 PY - 2004 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11011/damp-indoor-spaces-and-health PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine AB - Almost all homes, apartments, and commercial buildings will experience leaks, flooding, or other forms of excessive indoor dampness at some point. Not only is excessive dampness a health problem by itself, it also contributes to several other potentially problematic types of situations. Molds and other microbial agents favor damp indoor environments, and excess moisture may initiate the release of chemical emissions from damaged building materials and furnishings. This new book from the Institute of Medicine examines the health impact of exposures resulting from damp indoor environments and offers recommendations for public health interventions. Damp Indoor Spaces and Health covers a broad range of topics. The book not only examines the relationship between damp or moldy indoor environments and adverse health outcomes but also discusses how and where buildings get wet, how dampness influences microbial growth and chemical emissions, ways to prevent and remediate dampness, and elements of a public health response to the issues. A comprehensive literature review finds sufficient evidence of an association between damp indoor environments and some upper respiratory tract symptoms, coughing, wheezing, and asthma symptoms in sensitized persons. This important book will be of interest to a wide-ranging audience of science, health, engineering, and building professionals, government officials, and members of the public. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine TI - Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2004 SN - DO - 10.17226/11242 PY - 2005 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11242/veterans-and-agent-orange-update-2004 PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine KW - Conflict and Security Issues AB - Sixth in a series of congressionally mandated studies, this book is an updated review and evaluation of the available evidence regarding the statistical assoication between exposure to herbicides used in Vietnam and various adverse health outcomes suspected to be linked with such exposure. This book builds upon the information contained in the earlier books in the series: Veterans and Agent Orange: Health Effects of Herbicides Used in Vietnam (1994) Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 1996 Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 1998 Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2000 Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2002 Veterans and Agent Orange: Herbicides and Dioxin Exposure and Type 2 Diabetes (2000) Veterans and Agent Orange: Herbicide/Dioxin Exposure and Acute Myelogenous Leukemia in the Children of Vietnam Veterans (2002) Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2004 focuses primarily on scientific studies and other information developed since the release of these earlier books. The previous volumes have noted that sufficient evidence exists to link chronic lymphocytic leukemia, soft-tissue sarcoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and chloracne with exposure. The books also noted that there is “limited or suggestive” evidence of an association between exposure and respiratory cancers, prostate cancer, multiple myeloma, the metabolic disorder porphyria cutanea tarda, early-onset transient peripheral neuropathies, Type 2 diabetes, and the congenital birth defect spinal bifida in veterans’ children. This volume will be critically important to both policymakers and physicians in the federal government, Vietnam veterans and their families, veterans’ organizations, researchers, and health professionals. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine TI - Gulf War and Health: Volume 3: Fuels, Combustion Products, and Propellants SN - DO - 10.17226/11180 PY - 2005 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11180/gulf-war-and-health-volume-3-fuels-combustion-products-and PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine AB - The third in a series of congressionally mandated reports on Gulf War veterans’ health, this volume evaluates the long-term, human health effects associated with exposure to selected environmental agents, pollutants, and synthetic chemical compounds believed to have been present during the Gulf War. The committee specifically evaluated the literature on hydrogen sulfide, combustion products, hydrazine and red fuming nitric acid. Both the epidemiologic and toxicologic literature were reviewed. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Institute of Medicine AU - National Research Council TI - The Arctic Aeromedical Laboratory's Thyroid Function Study: A Radiological Risk and Ethical Analysis SN - DO - 10.17226/5106 PY - 1996 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/5106/the-arctic-aeromedical-laboratorys-thyroid-function-study-a-radiological-risk PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Health and Medicine AB - During the 1950s, with the Cold War looming, military planners sought to know more about how to keep fighting forces fit and capable in the harsh Alaskan environment. In 1956 and 1957, the U.S. Air Force's former Arctic Aeromedical Laboratory conducted a study of the role of the thyroid in human acclimatization to cold. To measure thyroid function under various conditions, the researchers administered a radioactive medical trace, Iodine-131, to Alaska Natives and white military personnel; based on the study results, the researchers determined that the thyroid did not play a significant role in human acclimatization to cold. When this study of thyroid function was revisited at a 1993 conference on the Cold War legacy in the Arctic, serious questions were raised about the appropriateness of the activity—whether it posed risks to the people involved and whether the research had been conducted within the bounds of accepted guidelines for research using human participants. In particular, there was concern over the relatively large proportion of Alaska Natives used as subjects and whether they understood the nature of the study. This book evaluates the research in detail, looking at both the possible health effects of Iodine-131 administration in humans and the ethics of human subjects research. This book presents conclusions and recommendations and is a significant addition to the nation's current reevaluation of human radiation experiments conducted during the Cold War. ER -