Book excerpt: An Introduction to Environmental Epidemiology covers the basics of environmental exposure, health, and disease. Written to be easily accessible to readers with no formal training in epidemiology or statistics, this practical introduction is an ideal text/reference for students and professionals in nursing, medicine, industrial hygiene, occupational and environmental health, and general environmental science. It provides a target-organ oriented presentation of environmental hazards, with detailed discussions of selected exposures such as asbestos, lead, radon, and indoor and outdoor air pollutants. Major topics covered include: