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584 Annals Am. Acad. Pol. & Soc. Sci. 7 (2002)

handle is hein.cow/anamacp0584 and id is 1 raw text is: PREFACE This special issue of The Annals addresses environmental health, an area that has become a very significant part of popular concern, government atten- tion, and scientific research. What exactly do we mean by environmental health? The broadest definition would include the totality of unhealthy liv- ing and working conditions: bacteria and viruses in human waste; animal vectors for infectious diseases; surface water and groundwater pollution; air pollution from fires, vehicle exhaust, and incineration; chemical and petro- leum product spills and explosions; and disasters, such as floods, hurricanes, and fires (which may be either natural, human caused, or human exacer- bated). But that definition is broad enough to encompass virtually all disease- causing factors. I believe we are better off focusing on the health effects caused by toxic substances in people's immediate or proximate surroundings (soil, air, water, food, and household goods), a definition that mirrors most research and policy on environmental health. These are chemical-related, air-pollution-related, and radiation-related symptoms and diseases that affect groups of people in workplaces and communities. Focusing on toxic sub- stances makes sense for several reasons. Toxic exposure has engendered much conflict, policy making, legislation, public awareness, media attention, and social movement activity. It leads to disputes between lay people and pro- fessionals, between citizens and governments, and among professionals. And toxic exposure demonstrates interesting and ongoing examples of social prob- lems construction and political contestation concerning environmentally induced diseases. Environmental health is still a new area in many ways, deserving more attention to help us understand the diverse and complex issues. Because of the newness and controversy of environmental health, there are a variety of interesting issues to focus on. That diversity reflects in the social movement activists, scientists, government officials, and academic researchers who are contributors to this special issue. They have put their lives' efforts into pre- venting further harm from environmental causes, and their work represents some of the most intelligent thinking in a wide variety of environmental health matters. HOW DO WE KNOW? The science of environmental health is not as markedly knowable as we would like. However, for a relatively new area of inquiry, we are making tre- mendous strides. We have discovered the health impacts of many dangerous substances and have sensible notions of many more potential problems. Existing incomplete knowledge and imprecision are due in large part to the newness of the science: we do not always know what specific substances DOI: 10.1177/000271602237424 7

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