The Logo Was Designed by GEO PEDIA Editor : Geo.Mahmoud El-Enany

بحث تعريفي بعلم الجيولوجيا الطبية باللغتين العربية والانجليزية

التعريف و المفهوم العام : -

الجيولوجيا الطبية هو علم متخصص تشترك فيه عدة مجالات علمية يهتم بدراسة العوامل التي تؤثر على صحة الإنسان, الحيوان, و النباتات كما يختص بدراسة علاقة الجيولوجيا بالطب مثل ظهور مرض معين في مكان ما بسبب وجود عناصر معينة بالمنطقة .
الجيولوجيا الطبية تدرس تعرض الكائنات الحية الى العناصر النادرة و الأملاح المتدهورة والديوكسينات و التلوثات المنتشرة بالبيئة. أيضا تختص في تنقل و تطور و تركز التركيبات العضوية و تعرضها للنواة المشعة, و الميكروبات, و المسببات المرضية.

يعتبر علم الجيولوجيا الطبية من احدث العلوم في وقتنا الحاضر لان هذا العلم يهتم بشكل رئيسي بالأمراض المنتشرة في المجتمع ومسببتها من زيادة تركيز العناصر والمعادن الطبيعية في جسم الإنسان.

تُـعّرف الجيولوجيا الطبية: بأنها العلم الذي يهتم بدراسة العلاقات بين العوامل الجيولوجية ومشاكل الصحة عند الإنسان والحيوان والنبات. بالإضافة إلى محاولة فهم تأثير هذه العوامل والمؤثرات علي التوزيع الجغرافي لهذه المشاكل الصحية، لذلك تعتبر الجيولوجيا الطبية من احدث العلوم المعقدة والمركبة والتي تتطلب مساهمة ومشاركة العديد من التخصصات العلمية الأخرى ((الطب- الجيولوجيا- الكيمياء-الأحياء-الزراعة- الجغرافيا- خدمة المجتمع-تصاميم البيئة....)) للوصول إلى تصور واضح ومفهوم عام لهذه المشاكل وبذل مزيداً من الجهد لحلها.

أن معظم العناصر الكيميائية والموجودة في الطبيعة علي هيئة معادن فلزية ولا فلزية تدخل في نظام حياتنا بشكل مباشر أو غير مباشر وزيادة تركيزها في جسم الإنسان يؤدي إلى التأثير الضار بصحة الإنسان. كذلك زيادة تركيز هذه العناصر في التربة يؤدي إلى الإضرار بالنباتات وبالتالي يؤثر علي الحيوانات بشكل أو بآخر.
من خلال الدراسات والإستنتاجات الأولية وجد أن بعض هذه العناصر تؤثر بشكل أساسي علي حياتنا والبعض الآخر لا يؤثر وجوده أو عدمه علي صحتنا.

أن معظم النشاطات المختلفة التي يقوم الإنسان أدت بصورة أو بأخرى إلى إعادة توزيع هذه العناصر من منطقة إلى أخرى بحيث تكون غير مؤثر مطلقاً في بعض المناطق وتكون مؤثرة بشكل سلبي جداً علي بعض السكان والأحياء النباتية والحيوانية في منطقة أخرى.

أن تواجد العناصر الأرضية السامة أو العناصر المشعة في الطبيعة سواءاً كانت نتيجة لعوامل التعرية أو التجوية للصخور أو كنتيجة للنشاطات المختلفة والتي تكون بفعل الإنسان تؤدي إلى تركيز هذه العناصر بجسم الإنسان إما عن طريق الغذاء أو شرب الماء أو استنشاق الهواء الملوث.
يتواجد هذا الاختصاص في ( كولومبيا - قبرص - روسيا - أمريكا الشمالية - البرازيل-ايران-غانا- شمال آسيا - بوليفيا- اسبانيا- استراليا-بريطانيا )

بعض التطبيقات العملية للجيولوجيا الطبية في :

1- مجال الأسنان:

- صناعة أسنان البورسلان

- صناعة أسنان الذهب والفضة والبلاتين

- استخدام البلاتين والذهب في التقويم.

- صناعة معجون الأسنان

- يستخدم الليزر في إزالة تسوس الأسنان و تبيضها و علاج اللثة

2- في العظام

- الجبس وعلاج الكسور.

- المياه الكبريتية الساخنة للعلاج.

- معجون الطين الساخن للعلاج.

- حمام رملي بالشمس

- حمام الساونا.

- كربونات الكالسيوم والفوسفات كعلاج للعظم .

- علاج الكسور بمسمار البلاتين.

3- في العيون

- كحل العيون وجالينا وأنتيمون.

- قطرة الزنك.

- العدسات الطبية.

- معدن العقيق الذي يستخدم في إنتاج أشعة الليزر والتي تستخدم في علاج انفصال شبكية العين أو تصحيح قصر النظر هذا بالنسبة في مجال العيون.

What is Medical Geology ?

Medical geology is an emerging interdisciplinary scientific field studying the relationship between natural geological factors and their effects on human and animal health. The Commission on Geological Sciences for Environmental Planning defines medical geology as, "The science dealing with the influence of ordinary environmental factors on the geographical distribution of health problems in man and animals."

In its broadest sense, medical geology studies exposure to or deficiency of trace elements and minerals; inhalation of ambient and anthropogenic mineral dusts and volcanic emissions; transportation, modification and concentration of organic compounds; and exposure to radio nuclides, microbes and pathogens

Medical Geology is the science dealing with the relationships between geological factors and health.

Our environment affects our health

That the environment affects our health has long been recognised. However, in order to understand the complex relationships between environmental and health, collaboration of professionals in the fields of both medicine and geology is required.

The International Medical Geology Association aims to provide a network and a forum to bring together the combined expertise of geologists and earth scientists, environmental scientists, toxicologists, epidemiologists and medical specialists, in order to characterise the properties of geological processes and agents, the disperal of geological material and their effects on human populations.

History

Many have deemed medical geology as a new field when in actuality it is re-emerging. Hippocrates and Aristotle first recognized the relationship between human diseases and the earth's elements.^[4] Only now are people becoming aware of the effects the environment has on our health. This field ultimately depends on a number of different fields coming and working together to solve some of the earth's mysteries. The scientific term for this field is "hydrobiogeochemoepidemiopathoecology" however it is more commonly known as medical geology. It was established in 1990 by the International Union of Geological Sciences. Paracelsus, the father of pharmacology (1493-1541) stated that, "All substances are poisons, there is none which is not a poison. The right dosage differentiates a poison and a remedy." This passage sums up the idea of medical geology perfectly. The goal of this field is to find the right balance and intake of elements/ minerals in order to improve and maintain health.

Examples of research in medical geology include:

· Studies on the impact of contaminant mobility as a result of extreme weather events such as flooding.

· Lead and other heavy metal exposure resulting from dust and other particulates

· Asbestos exposure such as amphibole asbestos dusts in Libby, Montana

· Fungal infection resulting from airborne dust, such as Valley Fever or coccidioidomycosis

Environment and Our Health

It is widely known that the state of our environment affects us in many ways. Minerals and rocks are going to have some impact on human and animal populations because that is what the earth is composed of.^[2] Medical geology brings professionals from both the medicine field and the geology field to help us understand this relationship.^] There are two priorities that have been established within the medical geology field, "(1) the study of trace elements, especially their bioavailability and (2) a need to establish baseline, or background levels of contaminants/ xenobiotics/ potentially harmful but naturally occurring materials in water, soil, air, food, and animaltissue."

The elements and minerals in the land effect people and animals immensely especially when there is a close relationship between the two. Those who depend heavily on the land are faced with one of two problems. First, those who live in places such as Maputaland, South Africa are exposed to heavily impoverished soils which result in a number of diseases caused by mineral imbalances. Secondly, those in areas such as India and Bangladesh are often exposed to an excess of elements in the land resulting in mineral toxicity. We do of course need some naturally occurring elements however most can be extremely detrimental to our health. There is a direct link between health and the earth because we ingest and breath in all of these chemicals and for the most part we do it unknowingly

Why Is Geology Important For Our Health

Our environment is the entire web of geological and biological interactions that characterize the relationship between life and the planet Earth. Essential and toxic elements in bedrock or soils may become a direct risk for human and animal health and may be the underlying cause of both deficiency and toxicity. Some naturally occurring elements are necessary for our well-being, while others are detrimental to our health. Naturally occurring elements can have detrimental effects on health when ingested in increasing quantities. Metals have always existed and will forever exist, but we cannot avoid the fact that the health of human beings and animals is influenced by metals and other elements in the environment. Geological processes along with human activities of all kinds have redistributed these from sites where they are fairly harmless to places where they adversely affect humans and animals.

To most people, geology is a subject concerning rocks and minerals and their distributions on Earth. As an earth science, of course, geology also deals with physical processes of the Earth, such as mountain building, coastal and river dynamics, and desert formation. Few people know that geoscientists have expanded their discipline by linking human and animal health with geology. The fundamental basis for this expansion, which has spun into a specialty known as medical geology, is the unique interdependence of the different living and nonliving components that make up the Earth. The basic building blocks of the Earth--the rocks and minerals--must, therefore, have a bearing on the health of the human and animal populations that live on these earthy materials.

Geology may appear far removed from human health. However, rocks are the source of all the naturally occurring chemical elements found on the Earth. Many elements in the right quantities are essential for plant, animal, and human health. Most of these elements enter the human body via food and water in the diet and through the air that we breathe. Through the weathering processes, rocks break down to form soils on which crops and animals that constitute the food supply are raised. Drinking water moves through rocks and soils as part of the hydrological cycle. Much of the dust and some of the gases present in the atmosphere are the result of geological processes. Hence, a direct link exists between geochemistry and health due to ingestion and inhalation of chemical elements.

Volcanism and related igneous activities are the principal processes that bring elements to the surface from deep inside the Earth. For example, the volcano Pinatubo ejected in just over 2 d in June 1991, about 10 billion tones of magma and 20 million tones of SO2 and the resulting aerosols influenced the global climate for 3 y. This event alone introduced 800000 tones of zinc, 600000 tones of copper, and 1000 tones of cadmium to the surface environment. In addition to this, 30000 tones of nickel, 550000 tones of chromium, and 800 tones of mercury were also added to the Earth's surface environment. Volcanic eruptions redistribute some of the harmful elements, such as arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, mercury, lead, radon, and uranium, plus most of the remaining elements, many of which may have still undetermined biological effects. It is also important to realize that there are on average 60 sub aerial volcanoes erupting on the surface of the Earth at any given time, releasing various elements into the environment.

The naturally occurring elements are not distributed evenly across the surface of the Earth, and problems can arise when element abundances are too low (deficiency) or too high (toxicity). The inability of the environment to provide the correct chemical balance can lead to serious health problems. The links between environment and health are particularly important for subsistence populations that are heavily dependent on the local environment for their food supply. Approximately 25 of the naturally occurring elements are known to be essential to plant and animal life in trace amounts, including Ca, Mg, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn, P, N, S, Se, I, and Mo. On the other hand, an excess of these elements can cause toxicity problems. Some elements such as As, Cd, Pb, Hg, and Al have no or limited biological function and are generally toxic to humans.

Who Should Attend?

The search is intended for geologists, geochemists, ecologists, chemists, biologists, occupational and environmental scientists, medical professionals, toxicologists, epidemiologists, environmental pathologists, bio-statisticians and any other health, environmental and geo-sciences professional with interest on Medical Geology issues, particular interest on the effect of toxic metal ion species on environmental and human health. An important aim of the Course is to provide the opportunity for forming contacts and networks between professionals working in different areas of environmental and human health.

Why Is The Interest In Medical Geology Increasing?

Certainly, for the past several decades there has been a growing awareness of environmental health issues. More and more people in developed and developing countries are becoming aware of the potential health impacts of environmental pollution. By and large these concerns had been focused on industrial contamination. However, there has long been a small but active group of researchers who recognized that natural materials and processes could be as dangerous as the pollution from anthropogenic materials and processes. Perhaps the success in improving air and water quality in many developed countries has given us confidence that we can now tackle nature and mitigate or eliminate the environmental health issues caused by exposure to natural mate.

Although geologic factors play key roles in a range of environmental health issues that impact the health and well-being of billions of people worldwide, there is a general lack of understanding of the importance of these factors on animal and human health among the general public, the biomedical/public health community, and even within the geosciences community. To assist on improving our understanding of those factors of common interest to the geosciences and biomedical fields, in 1996 the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) commission Co-geo-environment established an international working group on medical geology led by Olle Selinus of the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU). The primary aim of the medical geology working group was to increase the awareness of this issue among geoscientists, medical specialists, and the general public. In 2000, a new project was subsequently established by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.

Practitioners Of Medical Geology Have Five Principal Goals:

1- To identify geochemical anomalies in soils, sediments, and water that may adversely impact human and animal health.
2- To identify the environmental causes of known health problems and, in collaboration with biomedical/ public health researchers, seek solutions to prevent or minimize these problems.
3- To evaluate the beneficial health effects of geologic materials and process;
4- To reassure the public when there is unwarranted environmental health concerns associated with geologic materials or processes.
5- To forge links between developed and developing countries to find solutions for environmental health problems

Sources of Chemicals

There are many ways in which humans come into contact with the earth's elements and below are only a few ways in which we become exposed to them.

· Volcanoes are one of the main sources that bring all the toxicity from inside the earth to the outside. They bring out chemicals such as; arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, mercury, lead, radon, and uranium.

· Rocks are also one of the leading sources in exposure to these elements. "They are essentially the source of all the naturally occurring chemical elements found on the earth."

Diseases

Iodine Deficiency

One of the biggest geochemical diseases is iodine deficiency. Thirty percent of the world is at risk for it and insufficient intake is the most common cause of mental retardation and brain damage. The sea is a major source of iodine and those who are further from it are at a disadvantage.^[2] Another source of it is in soil, however goitrogens such as humus and clay trap the iodine making it hard for people to access it. Some cultures actually consume the earth's minerals by eating soil and clay, this is known as geophay. It is most common in the tropics, especially among pregnant women. The Ottomac people of South America engage in this practice and none have suffered from any health problems

Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease has often been linked to water hardness as the main cause. Water hardness means that there is magnesiumin the water with calcium playing a role. Of course some research has completely discredited this evidence, and have found that the more magnesium in the water the less chance of death cardiovascular disease.

Radiation

Natural radiation is found everywhere; it is in the air, water, soil, rocks, minerals and food. The largest amount of radiation comes fromradon. Certain places are called 'high background radiation areas' (HBRAs), such as Guarapari, Southwest of France, Ramsar, parts of China, and Kerala Coast. People living in these areas however have not shown any health deficiencies and in some cases are even healthier and live longer than those not in HBRAs.

Other Issues

Among the problems presented there are also issues with fluoride in Africa and India, arsenic in Argentina, Chile, and Taiwan, seleniumin areas of the United States, Venezuela, China and nitrate in agricultural areas.^[7] As medical geology grows it may become more important to the medical field in the issue of diseases.

A few other deficiencies are listed below:

· Hyperkalemia: excess amount of potassium

· Hypercalcemia: excess amount of calcium

· Hyperphosphatemia: excess amount of phosphorus

International Medical Geology Association (IMGA)

"The International Medical Geology Association aims to provide a network and a forum to bring together the combined expertise of geologists and earth scientists, environmental scientists, toxicologists, epidemiologists, and medical specialists, in order to characterize the properties of geological processes and agents, the dispersal of geological material and their effects on human population."IMGA was founded in 2006 and manages affairs and funds, plans conferences, elections and publications, and they are also a way of encouraging growth and recognition in the field. Although it was founded in 2006, it was a work in progress for ten years when a working group of medical geology was established by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) in 1996.The goal of the working group was to advertise and make people aware of the harmful effects the environment has on our health.