The Role of Global Air Pollution in Aging and Disease

Global Air Pollution in Aging: Reading Smoke Signals is a complete reference connecting environmental pollution research to the human aging process. Since 1800, lifespans have more than doubled as infections declined and medicine improved. But the 20th century introduced a new global scourge of air pollution from fossil fuels with the potential to damage arteries, hearts and lungs that has been related to chronic exposure of air pollution from fossil fuels. Risk areas of study include childhood obesity, brain damage associated with air pollution, increased risk for autism in children and dementia in older adults.

In humans and animals, air pollution stimulates chronic inflammation in different organs, and genetic vulnerability to air pollution is being recognized, particularly for carriers of the Alzheimer risk gene ApoE4.

"The author discusses what he calls the three smokes: cigarette smoke, outdoor or ambient airpollution, and indoor air pollution.The text is authoritative and well referenced. It is easy to read. Finch generally avoids the repetition and unevenness often seen in multiauthored books. He occasionally uses jargon unnecessarily, and he does not always clearly define terms on their first usage. There are occasional printing errors and at least one graphic illustration from the World Health Organization is of poor quality. The audience is not well defined: although the subject matter is suited for an educated general audience, the explanations at times are not clear enough for anyone not in the field. Despite these minor detractions, the volume is a nice compilation of the topic. Advocates for clean air as well as workers in this field will find it useful and worthwhile."—The Quarterly Review of Biology