Introduction

Environmental Health Risk 2013 is the seventh International Conference in this successful series which started at the University of Cardiff, UK, in 2001 followed by the second at the University of Catania in 2003, the third in Bologna in 2005, Malta in 2007, the Wessex Institute of Technology, New Forest Campus, in 2009 and Riga in 2011.

Health problems related to the environment have become a major source of concern all over the world. The health of the population depends upon good quality environmental factors including air, water, soil, food and many others.

The aim of society is to establish measures that can eliminate or considerably reduce hazardous factors from the human environment to minimize the associated health risks. The ability to achieve these objectives is in great part dependent on the development of suitable experimental, modelling and interpretive techniques, which allow a balanced assessment of the risk involved as well as suggesting ways in which the situation can be improved.

The interaction between environmental risk and health is often complex and can involve a variety of social, occupational and lifestyle factors. This emphasises the importance of considering an interdisciplinary approach.

The conference aims to provide a forum for the dissemination and exchange of information on the diverse aspects of the impact of environmental factors on health across different disciplines.

The papers presented at these meetings are permanently archived in the eLibrary of the Wessex Institute (http://library.witpress.com) where they are easily accessible to the international scientific community.