Aging and environmental toxicology : biological and behavioral perspectives /

The book is written to provide "different perspectives on the principal issues in aging and environmental toxicology. . . ." Topics discussed include the interaction of aging and environmental factors such as chemical composition (natural and unnatural, e.g., xenobiotic) and energy level (light and sound) on the immune, circulatory, endocrine, and nervous systems, as well as responses by bone and skin. Also discussed is aging related to free radicals and cancer. As in any multiauthored book, the level of presentation is not uniform. In addition there is confusion in the use of the term "aging"; in some chapters, experimental findings of changes that occur between young adulthood and full maturity (development) are presented as aging effects rather than as changes more customarily defined as being associated with the last third of life expectancy (senescence). Each of the book's 13 chapters contains a reference list; regrettably, only one includes what might be considered a current list, i.e., references to reports that are less than three years old. Despite these criticisms, the book does a creditable job of covering a worthy topic and should be included in upper-division undergraduate and graduate collection concerned with aging and senescence.-H. M. Frankel, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick