Cellular Effects of Heavy Metals (PDF)

28th of August, 2010



Referee’s opinion



Cellular effects of heavy metals

edited by Gáspár Bánfalvi

The aim of this book is challenging: an extended review in different biological models about the physiologic role of heavy metals in one hand, and detailed summary of pathological consequences of heavy metal exposure in the other hand. The question is discussed in different evolutionary stages from the microbes and plants to the highly evolved mammalians. Theoretical and practical aspects of both fields are more extended then a regular size of a handbook. I would like to lie down my opinion: the editor very successfully solved this contradiction. The structure of the handbook is well balanced. Most important fields are selected in the extended and divergent literature. Authors of the 18 chapters are carefully numbered.

The biological importance of heavy metals in physiologic functions and in pathologic alterations is equally interesting for specialist working in environmental biology, for medical doctors working in public health, for researches in cellular biology fundamental science, for students studying biology, or biologists with simple interest in current results of this field.

The scientific content of the all 18 chapters is high quality. The cited literature is appropriate but some discrepancies are among the chapters in number of the cited articles (e.g. see Chapter No.4 and No, 9). Figures and tables and their legends are mostly informative. More demonstration materials – if the size of this book takes possible – would be remarkable help for readers. However, the divergent field of the chapters increases the importance of a general summary of the book. The “Introduction” is appropriate, but not achieves a framework of the divergent chapters and not enough strongly summarizes a guideline of the whole book.