Colorado State University, Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
Public Health Rep. 2011 May-Jun;126 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):50-7. doi: 10.1177/00333549111260S108.
Studies of the effects of environmental exposures on domestic and wild animals can corroborate or inform epidemiologic studies in humans. Animals may be sensitive indicators of environmental hazards and provide an early warning system for public health intervention, as exemplified by the iconic canary in the coal mine. This article illustrates the application of animal sentinel research to elucidate the effects of exposure to traditional and emerging contaminants on human health. Focusing on environmental issues at the forefront of current public health research, the article describes exposures to community air pollution, environmental tobacco smoke, and pesticides and associations with cancer, reproductive outcomes, and infectious diseases. Finally, it covers the role of marine mammals in monitoring the health of the oceans and humans.
对环境暴露对家养和野生动物影响的研究,可以为人类的流行病学研究提供佐证或信息。动物可能是环境危害的敏感指标,并为公共卫生干预提供早期预警系统,标志性的“煤矿中的金丝雀”就是一个例证。本文说明了动物哨兵研究在阐明接触传统和新兴污染物对人类健康的影响方面的应用。本文重点介绍了当前公共卫生研究中处于前沿的环境问题,描述了对社区空气污染、环境烟草烟雾和杀虫剂的接触,以及这些接触与癌症、生殖结果和传染病的关联。最后,它还介绍了海洋哺乳动物在监测海洋和人类健康方面的作用。