%0 Book %A National Research Council %T Safe Science: Promoting a Culture of Safety in Academic Chemical Research %@ 978-0-309-30091-9 %D 2014 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18706/safe-science-promoting-a-culture-of-safety-in-academic-chemical %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18706/safe-science-promoting-a-culture-of-safety-in-academic-chemical %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Math, Chemistry, and Physics %K Policy for Science and Technology %K Conflict and Security Issues %P 128 %X Recent serious and sometimes fatal accidents in chemical research laboratories at United States universities have driven government agencies, professional societies, industries, and universities themselves to examine the culture of safety in research laboratories. These incidents have triggered a broader discussion of how serious incidents can be prevented in the future and how best to train researchers and emergency personnel to respond appropriately when incidents do occur. As the priority placed on safety increases, many institutions have expressed a desire to go beyond simple compliance with regulations to work toward fostering a strong, positive safety culture: affirming a constant commitment to safety throughout their institutions, while integrating safety as an essential element in the daily work of laboratory researchers. Safe Science takes on this challenge. This report examines the culture of safety in research institutions and makes recommendations for university leadership, laboratory researchers, and environmental health and safety professionals to support safety as a core value of their institutions. The report discusses ways to fulfill that commitment through prioritizing funding for safety equipment and training, as well as making safety an ongoing operational priority. A strong, positive safety culture arises not because of a set of rules but because of a constant commitment to safety throughout an organization. Such a culture supports the free exchange of safety information, emphasizes learning and improvement, and assigns greater importance to solving problems than to placing blame. High importance is assigned to safety at all times, not just when it is convenient or does not threaten personal or institutional productivity goals. Safe Science will be a guide to make the changes needed at all levels to protect students, researchers, and staff. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Assuring a Future U.S.-Based Nuclear and Radiochemistry Expertise %@ 978-0-309-22534-2 %D 2012 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13308/assuring-a-future-us-based-nuclear-and-radiochemistry-expertise %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13308/assuring-a-future-us-based-nuclear-and-radiochemistry-expertise %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Math, Chemistry, and Physics %K Health and Medicine %P 220 %X The growing use of nuclear medicine, the potential expansion of nuclear power generation, and the urgent needs to protect the nation against external nuclear threats, to maintain our nuclear weapons stockpile, and to manage the nuclear wastes generated in past decades, require a substantial, highly trained, and exceptionally talented workforce. Assuring a Future U.S.-Based Nuclear and Radiochemistry Expertise examines supply and demand for expertise in nuclear chemistry nuclear science, and radiochemistry in the United States and presents possible approaches for ensuring adequate availability of these skills, including necessary science and technology training platforms. Considering a range of reasonable scenarios looking to the future, none of these areas are likely to experience a decrease in demand for expertise. However, many in the current workforce are approaching retirement age and the number of students opting for careers in nuclear and radiochemistry has decreased dramatically over the past few decades. In order to avoid a gap in these critical areas, increases in student interest in these careers, in the research and educational capacity of universities and colleges, and sector specific on-the-job training will be needed. Concise recommendations are given for actions to avoid a shortage of nuclear chemistry, nuclear scientists, and radiochemists in the future. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T To Recruit and Advance: Women Students and Faculty in Science and Engineering %@ 978-0-309-09521-1 %D 2006 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11624/to-recruit-and-advance-women-students-and-faculty-in-science %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11624/to-recruit-and-advance-women-students-and-faculty-in-science %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Education %K Behavioral and Social Sciences %P 145 %X Although more women than men participate in higher education in the United States, the same is not true when it comes to pursuing careers in science and engineering. To Recruit and Advance: Women Students and Faculty in Science and Engineering identifies and discusses better practices for recruitment, retention, and promotion for women scientists and engineers in academia. Seeking to move beyond yet another catalog of challenges facing the advancement of women in academic science and engineering, this book describes actions actually taken by universities to improve the situation for women. Serving as a guide, it examines the following: Recruitment of female undergraduates and graduate students. Ways of reducing attrition in science and engineering degree programs in the early undergraduate years. Improving retention rates of women at critical transition points—from undergraduate to graduate student, from graduate student to postdoc, from postdoc to first faculty position. Recruitment of women for tenure-track positions. Increasing the tenure rate for women faculty. Increasing the number of women in administrative positions. This guide offers numerous solutions that may be of use to other universities and colleges and will be an essential resource for anyone interested in improving the position of women students, faculty, deans, provosts, and presidents in science and engineering. %0 Book %A National Research Council %E McCray, Richard A. %E DeHaan, Robert L. %E Schuck, Julie Anne %T Improving Undergraduate Instruction in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: Report of a Workshop %@ 978-0-309-08929-6 %D 2003 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10711/improving-undergraduate-instruction-in-science-technology-engineering-and-mathematics-report %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10711/improving-undergraduate-instruction-in-science-technology-engineering-and-mathematics-report %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Education %P 176 %X Participants in this workshop were asked to explore three related questions: (1) how to create measures of undergraduate learning in STEM courses; (2) how such measures might be organized into a framework of criteria and benchmarks to assess instruction; and (3) how such a framework might be used at the institutional level to assess STEM courses and curricula to promote ongoing improvements. The following issues were highlighted: Effective science instruction identifies explicit, measurable learning objectives. Effective teaching assists students in reconciling their incomplete or erroneous preconceptions with new knowledge. Instruction that is limited to passive delivery of information requiring memorization of lecture and text contents is likely to be unsuccessful in eliciting desired learning outcomes. Models of effective instruction that promote conceptual understanding in students and the ability of the learner to apply knowledge in new situations are available. Institutions need better assessment tools for evaluating course design and effective instruction. Deans and department chairs often fail to recognize measures they have at their disposal to enhance incentives for improving education. Much is still to be learned from research into how to improve instruction in ways that enhance student learning. %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %E Smedley, Brian D. %E Sy, S. Leonard, me %T Promoting Health: Intervention Strategies from Social and Behavioral Research %@ 978-0-309-07175-8 %D 2000 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9939/promoting-health-intervention-strategies-from-social-and-behavioral-research %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9939/promoting-health-intervention-strategies-from-social-and-behavioral-research %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Health and Medicine %P 508 %X At the dawn of the twenty-first century, Americans enjoyed better overall health than at any other time in the nation's history. Rapid advancements in medical technologies, breakthroughs in understanding the genetic underpinnings of health and ill health, improvements in the effectiveness and variety of pharmaceuticals, and other developments in biomedical research have helped develop cures for many illnesses and improve the lives of those with chronic diseases. By itself, however, biomedical research cannot address the most significant challenges to improving public health. Approximately half of all causes of mortality in the United States are linked to social and behavioral factors such as smoking, diet, alcohol use, sedentary lifestyle, and accidents. Yet less than five percent of the money spent annually on U.S. health care is devoted to reducing the risks of these preventable conditions. Behavioral and social interventions offer great promise, but as yet their potential has been relatively poorly tapped. Promoting Health identifies those promising areas of social science and behavioral research that may address public health needs. It includes 12 papers—commissioned from some of the nation's leading experts—that review these issues in detail, and serves to assess whether the knowledge base of social and behavioral interventions has been useful, or could be useful, in the development of broader public health interventions. %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %E Fulco, Carolyn E. %E Liverman, Catharyn T. %E Sox, Harold C. %T Gulf War and Health: Volume 1: Depleted Uranium, Sarin, Pyridostigmine Bromide, and Vaccines %@ 978-0-309-07178-9 %D 2000 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9953/gulf-war-and-health-volume-1-depleted-uranium-sarin-pyridostigmine %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9953/gulf-war-and-health-volume-1-depleted-uranium-sarin-pyridostigmine %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Health and Medicine %P 426 %X The men and women who served in the Gulf War theater were potentially exposed to a wide range of biological and chemical agents. Gulf War and Health: Volume 1 assesses the scientific literature concerning the association between these agents and the adverse health effects currently experienced by a large number of veterans. %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %T Health and Behavior: The Interplay of Biological, Behavioral, and Societal Influences %@ 978-0-309-18737-4 %D 2001 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9838/health-and-behavior-the-interplay-of-biological-behavioral-and-societal %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9838/health-and-behavior-the-interplay-of-biological-behavioral-and-societal %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Health and Medicine %P 395 %X Health and Behavior reviews our improved understanding of the complex interplay among biological, psychological, and social influences and explores findings suggested by recent research—including interventions at multiple levels that we can employ to improve human health. The book covers three main areas: What do biological, behavioral, and social sciences contribute to our understanding of health—including cardiovascular, immune system and brain functioning, behaviors that influence health, the role of social networks and socioeconomic status, and more. What can we learn from applied research on interventions to improve the health of individuals, families, communities, organizations, and larger populations? How can we expeditiously translate research findings into application? %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %T Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2000 %@ 978-0-309-07552-7 %D 2001 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10098/veterans-and-agent-orange-update-2000 %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10098/veterans-and-agent-orange-update-2000 %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Health and Medicine %K Conflict and Security Issues %P 622 %X Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2000 examines the state of the scientific evidence regarding associations between diseases and exposure to dioxin and other chemical compounds in herbicides used in Vietnam. It is the fourth in a series of comprehensive reviews of epidemiologic and toxicologic studies of the agents used as defoliants during the Vietnam War. Over forty health outcomes in veterans and their children are addressed. Among the report's conclusions is that there is sufficient evidence of a link between exposure and the development of soft-tissue sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and chloracne in veterans. Additionally, it found that scientific studies offer "limited or suggestive" evidence of an association with other diseases in veterans—including Type 2 diabetes, respiratory cancers, prostate cancer, multiple myeloma and some forms of transient peripheral neuropathy—as well as the congenital birth defect spina bifida in veterans' children. %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %T Clearing the Air: Asthma and Indoor Air Exposures %@ 978-0-309-06496-5 %D 2000 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9610/clearing-the-air-asthma-and-indoor-air-exposures %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9610/clearing-the-air-asthma-and-indoor-air-exposures %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %K Health and Medicine %P 456 %X Since about 1980, asthma prevalence and asthma-related hospitalizations and deaths have increased substantially, especially among children. Of particular concern is the high mortality rate among African Americans with asthma. Recent studies have suggested that indoor exposures—to dust mites, cockroaches, mold, pet dander, tobacco smoke, and other biological and chemical pollutants—may influence the disease course of asthma. To ensure an appropriate response, public health and education officials have sought a science-based assessment of asthma and its relationship to indoor air exposures. Clearing the Air meets this need. This book examines how indoor pollutants contribute to asthma—its causation, prevalence, triggering, and severity. The committee discusses asthma among the general population and in sensitive subpopulations including children, low-income individuals, and urban residents. Based on the most current findings, the book also evaluates the scientific basis for mitigating the effects of indoor air pollutants implicated in asthma. The committee identifies priorities for public health policy, public education outreach, preventive intervention, and further research. %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %E Field, Marilyn J. %T Tuberculosis in the Workplace %@ 978-0-309-07330-1 %D 2001 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10045/tuberculosis-in-the-workplace %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10045/tuberculosis-in-the-workplace %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Health and Medicine %P 334 %X Before effective treatments were introduced in the 1950s, tuberculosis was a leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Health care workers were at particular risk. Although the occupational risk of tuberculosis has been declining in recent years, this new book from the Institute of Medicine concludes that vigilance in tuberculosis control is still needed in workplaces and communities. Tuberculosis in the Workplace reviews evidence about the effectiveness of control measures—such as those recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—intended to prevent transmission of tuberculosis in health care and other workplaces. It discusses whether proposed regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration would likely increase or sustain compliance with effective control measures and would allow adequate flexibility to adapt measures to the degree of risk facing workers. %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %E Ball, John R. %E Evans, Charles H., Jr. %T Safe Passage: Astronaut Care for Exploration Missions %@ 978-0-309-07585-5 %D 2001 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10218/safe-passage-astronaut-care-for-exploration-missions %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10218/safe-passage-astronaut-care-for-exploration-missions %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Space and Aeronautics %P 317 %X Safe Passage: Astronaut Care for Exploration Missions sets forth a vision for space medicine as it applies to deep space voyage. As space missions increase in duration from months to years and extend well beyond Earth's orbit, so will the attendant risks of working in these extreme and isolated environmental conditions. Hazards to astronaut health range from greater radiation exposure and loss of bone and muscle density to intensified psychological stress from living with others in a confined space. Going beyond the body of biomedical research, the report examines existing space medicine clinical and behavioral research and health care data and the policies attendant to them. It describes why not enough is known today about the dangers of prolonged travel to enable humans to venture into deep space in a safe and sane manner. The report makes a number of recommendations concerning NASA's structure for clinical and behavioral research, on the need for a comprehensive astronaut health care system and on an approach to communicating health and safety risks to astronauts, their families, and the public. %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %T Coverage Matters: Insurance and Health Care %@ 978-0-309-07609-8 %D 2001 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10188/coverage-matters-insurance-and-health-care %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10188/coverage-matters-insurance-and-health-care %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Health and Medicine %P 203 %X Roughly 40 million Americans have no health insurance, private or public, and the number has grown steadily over the past 25 years. Who are these children, women, and men, and why do they lack coverage for essential health care services? How does the system of insurance coverage in the U.S. operate, and where does it fail? The first of six Institute of Medicine reports that will examine in detail the consequences of having a large uninsured population, Coverage Matters: Insurance and Health Care, explores the myths and realities of who is uninsured, identifies social, economic, and policy factors that contribute to the situation, and describes the likelihood faced by members of various population groups of being uninsured. It serves as a guide to a broad range of issues related to the lack of insurance coverage in America and provides background data of use to policy makers and health services researchers. %0 Book %A National Research Council %T Biobased Industrial Products: Priorities for Research and Commercialization %@ 978-0-309-05392-1 %D 2000 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/5295/biobased-industrial-products-priorities-for-research-and-commercialization %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/5295/biobased-industrial-products-priorities-for-research-and-commercialization %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Energy and Energy Conservation %K Environment and Environmental Studies %P 162 %X Petroleum-based industrial products have gradually replaced products derived from biological materials. However, biologically based products are making a comeback—because of a threefold increase in farm productivity and new technologies. Biobased Industrial Products envisions a biobased industrial future, where starch will be used to make biopolymers and vegetable oils will become a routine component in lubricants and detergents. Biobased Industrial Products overviews the U.S. land resources available for agricultural production, summarizes plant materials currently produced, and describes prospects for increasing varieties and yields. The committee discusses the concept of the biorefinery and outlines proven and potential thermal, mechanical, and chemical technologies for conversion of natural resources to industrial applications. The committee also illustrates the developmental dynamics of biobased products through existing examples, as well as products still on the drawing board, and it identifies priorities for research and development. %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %T Health Insurance is a Family Matter %@ 978-0-309-08518-2 %D 2002 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10503/health-insurance-is-a-family-matter %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10503/health-insurance-is-a-family-matter %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Health and Medicine %P 296 %X Health Insurance is a Family Matter is the third of a series of six reports on the problems of uninsurance in the United Sates and addresses the impact on the family of not having health insurance. The book demonstrates that having one or more uninsured members in a family can have adverse consequences for everyone in the household and that the financial, physical, and emotional well—being of all members of a family may be adversely affected if any family member lacks coverage. It concludes with the finding that uninsured children have worse access to and use fewer health care services than children with insurance, including important preventive services that can have beneficial long-term effects. %0 Book %T A Data-Based Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States (with CD) %@ 978-0-309-16030-8 %D 2011 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12994/a-data-based-assessment-of-research-doctorate-programs-in-the-united-states-with-cd %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12994/a-data-based-assessment-of-research-doctorate-programs-in-the-united-states-with-cd %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Education %P 322 %X A Data-Based Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States provides an unparalleled dataset that can be used to assess the quality and effectiveness of doctoral programs based on measures important to faculty, students, administrators, funders, and other stakeholders. The data, collected for the 2005-2006 academic year from more than 5,000 doctoral programs at 212 universities, covers 62 fields. Included for each program are such characteristics as faculty publications, grants, and awards; student GRE scores, financial support, and employment outcomes; and program size, time to degree, and faculty composition. Measures of faculty and student diversity are also included. The book features analysis of selected findings across six broad fields: agricultural sciences, biological and health sciences, engineering, physical and mathematical sciences, social and behavioral sciences, and humanities, as well as a discussion of trends in doctoral education since the last assessment in 1995, and suggested uses of the data . It also includes a detailed explanation of the methodology used to collect data and calculate ranges of illustrative rankings. Included with the book is a comprehensive CD-ROM with a data table in Microsoft Excel. In addition to data on the characteristics of individual programs, the data table contains illustrative ranges of rankings for each program, as well as ranges of rankings for three dimensions of program quality: (1) research activity, (2) student support and outcomes, and (3) diversity of the academic environment. As an aid to users, the data table is offered with demonstrations of some Microsoft Excel features that may enhance the usability of the spreadsheet, such as hiding and unhiding columns, copying and pasting columns to a new worksheet, and filtering and sorting data. Also provided with the data table are a set of scenarios that show how typical users may want to extract data from the spreadsheet. PhDs.org, an independent website not affiliated with the National Research Council, incorporated data from the research-doctorate assessment into its Graduate School Guide. Users of the Guide can choose the weights assigned to the program characteristics measured by the National Research Council and others, and rank graduate programs according to their own priorities. %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %E Wilson, Samuel %E Jones, Lovell %E Coussens, Christine %E Hanna, Kathi %T Cancer and the Environment: Gene-Environment Interaction %@ 978-0-309-08475-8 %D 2002 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10464/cancer-and-the-environment-gene-environment-interaction %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10464/cancer-and-the-environment-gene-environment-interaction %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Environment and Environmental Studies %K Health and Medicine %P 160 %X The Roundtable on Environmental Health Sciences, Research, and Medicine wanted to address the link between environmental factors and the development of cancer in light of recent advances in genomics. They asked what research tools are needed, how new scientific information can be applied in a timely manner to reduce the burden of cancer, and how this can be flexible enough to treat the individual. %0 Book %T Chairing the Mathematical Sciences Department of the 1990s: Proceedings of a Colloquium, October 27-28, 1989 %D 1990 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/20362/chairing-the-mathematical-sciences-department-of-the-1990s-proceedings-of %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/20362/chairing-the-mathematical-sciences-department-of-the-1990s-proceedings-of %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K %K Education %P 107 %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %T Care Without Coverage: Too Little, Too Late %@ 978-0-309-08343-0 %D 2002 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10367/care-without-coverage-too-little-too-late %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10367/care-without-coverage-too-little-too-late %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Health and Medicine %P 212 %X Many Americans believe that people who lack health insurance somehow get the care they really need. Care Without Coverage examines the real consequences for adults who lack health insurance. The study presents findings in the areas of prevention and screening, cancer, chronic illness, hospital--based care, and general health status. The committee looked at the consequences of being uninsured for people suffering from cancer, diabetes, HIV infection and AIDS, heart and kidney disease, mental illness, traumatic injuries, and heart attacks. It focused on the roughly 30 million -- one in seven--working--age Americans without health insurance. This group does not include the population over 65 that is covered by Medicare or the nearly 10 million children who are uninsured in this country. The main findings of the report are that working-age Americans without health insurance are more likely to receive too little medical care and receive it too late; be sicker and die sooner; and receive poorer care when they are in the hospital, even for acute situations like a motor vehicle crash. %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %A National Research Council %E Nass, Sharyl J. %E Henderson, I. Craig %E Lashof, Joyce C. %T Mammography and Beyond: Developing Technologies for the Early Detection of Breast Cancer %@ 978-0-309-21656-2 %D 2001 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10030/mammography-and-beyond-developing-technologies-for-the-early-detection-of %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10030/mammography-and-beyond-developing-technologies-for-the-early-detection-of %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Health and Medicine %P 310 %X Each year more than 180,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women in the U.S. If cancer is detected when small and local, treatment options are less dangerous, intrusive, and costly-and more likely to lead to a cure. Yet those simple facts belie the complexity of developing and disseminating acceptable techniques for breast cancer diagnosis. Even the most exciting new technologies remain clouded with uncertainty. Mammography and Beyond provides a comprehensive and up-to-date perspective on the state of breast cancer screening and diagnosis and recommends steps for developing the most reliable breast cancer detection methods possible. This book reviews the dramatic expansion of breast cancer awareness and screening, examining the capabilities and limitations of current and emerging technologies for breast cancer detection and their effectiveness at actually reducing deaths. The committee discusses issues including national policy toward breast cancer detection, roles of public and private agencies, problems in determining the success of a technique, availability of detection methods to specific populations of women, women's experience during the detection process, cost-benefit analyses, and more. Examining current practices and specifying research and other needs, Mammography and Beyond will be an indispensable resource to policy makers, public health officials, medical practitioners, researchers, women's health advocates, and concerned women and their families. %0 Book %A Institute of Medicine %E Stratton, Kathleen %E Shetty, Padma %E Wallace, Robert %E Bondurant, Stuart %T Clearing the Smoke: Assessing the Science Base for Tobacco Harm Reduction %@ 978-0-309-07282-3 %D 2001 %U https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10029/clearing-the-smoke-assessing-the-science-base-for-tobacco-harm %> https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10029/clearing-the-smoke-assessing-the-science-base-for-tobacco-harm %I The National Academies Press %C Washington, DC %G English %K Health and Medicine %P 656 %X Despite overwhelming evidence of tobacco's harmful effects and pressure from anti-smoking advocates, current surveys show that about one-quarter of all adults in the United States are smokers. This audience is the target for a wave of tobacco products and pharmaceuticals that claim to preserve tobacco pleasure while reducing its toxic effects. Clearing the Smoke addresses the problems in evaluating whether such products actually do reduce the health risks of tobacco use. Within the context of regulating such products, the committee explores key questions: Does the use of such products decrease exposure to harmful substances in tobacco? Is decreased exposure associated with decreased harm to health? Are there surrogate indicators of harm that could be measured quickly enough for regulation of these products? What are the public health implications? This book looks at the types of products that could reduce harm and reviews the available evidence for their impact on various forms of cancer and other major ailments. It also recommends approaches to governing these products and tracking their public health effects. With an attitude of healthy skepticism, Clearing the Smoke will be important to health policy makers, public health officials, medical practitioners, manufacturers and marketers of "reduced-harm" tobacco products, and anyone trying to sort through product claims.