"Any professional examination of existing or potential new toxins in a population must account for those already present from past problems and natural conditions.Toxic Legacy provides extensive information on the occurrence of chemical hazards and their potential dangers in combinations in the food, water and air in cities around the United States. The book illustrates consumer preferences for specific food and water products, as well as particular diets and discusses the toxicity and risks associated with our exposure to synthetic chemicals. The authors offer unique guidance to environmental engineers, scientists, process engineers, and planners and specify what steps can be taken to limit exposure to complex chemical mixtures."--Publisher's description.

In sub-Saharan Africa, urban and peri-urban food production has been identified as an important resource for meeting the challenges of rapidly growing cities, and the positive aspects of such production have been well documented in the literature. This paper examines some of the health and environmental concerns associated with urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA). Empirical evidence from the city of Kano in northern Nigeria suggests that there is currently much reason for concern as industrial and domestic toxins are reaching dangerously high levels. As soils and water channels become increasingly polluted, the sustainability of urban and peri-urban food production is questioned. Since the health implications of long-term exposure to toxins are unclear, it is suggested that coordinated longitudinal research involving urban planners, agricultural scientists and health specialists is urgently needed. In addition, it remains crucial that government and institutional actors effectively monitor and enforce both environmental and zoning by-laws, if the health and environmental constraints of UPA are to be overcome, and the future sustainability of production is to be assured.

Organic toxins are persistent chemicals of global concern capable of accumulating in environment and food. Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a promising technique that facilitates onsite detection of organic toxins. However, the fabrication of a SERS substrate is complicated and difficult to provide flexibility, fastness and cost-effectiveness. This study aims to develop a paper-based SERS method using grape skin-gold nanoparticles/graphene oxide (GE-AuNPs/GO) as SERS substrate and evaluate its efficiency with rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) as a model organic toxin and a real water and food contaminant. GE-AuNPs synthesized by green method using grape skin waste extract and GE-AuNPs/GO showed a surface plasmon resonance at 536 and 539 nm, particle size 18.6 and 19.5 nm, and zeta potential −44.6 and −59.7 mV, respectively. Paper-based SERS substrates were prepared by coating a hydrophobic thin-film of 30% polydimethylsiloxane solution in hexane on Whatman no. 1 filter paper, followed by drop-casting GE-AuNPs or GE-AuNPs/GO and drying. The SERS signals of Rh6G showed an enhancement factor of 5.8 × 10⁴ for GE-AuNPs and 1.92 × 10⁹ for GE-AuNPs/GO, implying that a combination of electromagnetic surface plasmon, charge transfer and molecular resonances may be responsible for a higher enhancement of signal by the latter. A low detection limit of 7.33 × 10⁻¹¹ M in the linear range of 10⁻¹¹–10⁻⁵ M was obtained for GE-AuNPs/GO, while the relative standard deviation of repeatability and reproducibility was 9.6 and 12.6%, respectively. Paper-based GE-AuNPs/GO SERS substrate was highly stable as <20% loss in efficiency was shown over a 60-day storage period. Application to real samples showed a high recovery of Rh6G from tap water (93.9–100.8%) as well as food samples such as red chilli powder (91.0–95.4%), red glutinous rice ball (96.6–98.3%) and tomato ketchup (98.9–102.3%) after QuEChERS extraction. Collectively, the developed paper-based GE-AuNPs/GO can be a potential substrate for sensitive onsite detection of rhodamine 6G by SERS method.

"Eliminate avoidable toxins, mitigate the effects of those you can't avoid, and enjoy a longer life with this essential health guide from a pioneer in integrative medicine, Dr. Joe Pizzorno--the author, teacher, practitioner, and founder of Bastyr University, the country's first and largest fully accredited university of natural medicine. Dr. Joe Pizzorno is convinced that lifelong good health rests on two key determinants: your exposure to toxins and your ability to process them in your body. While lifestyle, diet, and genetics all play a major role in well-being, many symptoms of declining health and chronic disease are rooted in toxic overload--our exposure to a barrage of chemicals, heavy metals, radiation, electromagnetic frequencies, and pollution that are the byproducts of modern life. While the human body has an innate capacity to detoxify, it cannot cope with the elevated levels of toxins we are exposed to today. Most alarmingly, this toxic overload has helped transform once rare diseases into epidemics affecting people of all ages. In The Toxin Solution, Dr. Pizzorno provides the proven detox and tailored methods he has developed to heal toxic overload and restore health in just eight weeks. With this essential guide you will learn how to: Avoid toxins in food and the products you use; Mend your gut and prepare for detox; Support your body in releasing the chemicals; Repair some of the damage toxins have caused. Fortunately, our bodies have a tremendous capacity for healing and recovery. With The Toxin Solution you will discover how releasing and avoiding toxins can help you to feel better today--and every day for the rest of your life"--