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Medical Mineralogy and Geochemistry.

N. Sahai and M. A. A. Schoonen (editors). Reviews in Mineralogy & Geochemistry, 64, Geochemical Society and Mineralogical Society of America, Washington, D.C. and Chantilly, VA, USA, 332 pp., 2006; ISSN 1529-6466; ISBN 978-0-939950-76-6. Price US $40.00.

School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85283, USA

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Need some novel research ideas? Although clay minerals are seldom explicitly mentioned in this book, those with knowledge about and interest in clays will find it fascinating, mostly easy to read, and inspiring in terms of new research ideas. It might be best to wrap up some old projects before reading this book, because once you start, you’ll be thinking of new things to try....

The volume was published in conjunction with a two-day short course held at the USGS in Menlo Park, California, December 9–10, 2006. The opening chapter tells us that modern studies of interactions between earth materials and human health began with V.M. Goldschmidt and E.J. King in 1945, but only in the past several years have advances in analytical technology and molecular and cellular biology combined with a growing interest in the overlap between geosciences and health to create a blossoming new subdiscipline. The ten chapters review work to date in the budding, cross-disciplinary area of medical geology. Although the biology gets a bit thick in a few places, most chapters are written for geoscientists seeking familiarization with biomedical concepts and literature.

The almost complete absence of clays (or other very specific materials) from the chapters is not so much a shortcoming as a reflection of how young this field is and how much fundamental work remains to be undertaken. Because of their ubiquity and catalytic nature, clays and clay surfaces no doubt play central roles in many of the health issues discussed here, but no research has yet elucidated those roles or identified the exact materials involved. Thus, plenty of opportunity awaits clay experts, among others.

The opening chapter by Sahai et al. defines medical mineralogy and geochemistry as "investigations that aim to understand the interactions between geomaterials and humans as . . . [Full Text of this Article]