On this page information on and from the Regional Division will be published.

MEDICAL GEOLOGY MALAYSIA / SOUTHEAST ASIA GROUP

BACKGROUND

The Medical Geology Malaysia/Southeast Asia Group was initiated after the Workshop on Medical Geology: Metals, Health and the Environment, held at the Institute for Medical Research Malaysia (IMR) in Kuala Lumpur on 8th and 9th December 2003. The Workshop was convened by the Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI) of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, the Environmental Health Research Centre (EHRC), the Minerals and Geoscience Department Malaysia (JMG), and the former IUGS Commission on Geological Sciences for Environmental Planning (COGEOENVIRONMENT).

The aim of the Medical Geology Malaysia/Southeast Asia Group is to link medical geology to health and the environment, to strengthen environmental health in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. The initiative is led by LESTARI, in close collaboration with IMR and JMG. The Group welcomes collaboration with interested parties to take the lead in other parts of Southeast Asia. Please contact the Coordinator for further information.

For further information on medical geology in the Southeast Asian region, please contact:

Dr. Joy Jacqueline Pereira
Coordinator Medical Geology Malaysia/Southeast Asia Group
Senior Research Fellow/Associate Professor
Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
43600 Bangi, Selangor D.E.
MALAYSIA
Fax: 603-8925-5104
Email: joy@pkrisc.cc.ukm.my

PLANS FOR 2005

Workshop on Environmental Hazards as part of the LESTARI/Universiti Gadjah Mada Bilateral Programme, to introduce Medical Geology to a group of Indonesian scientists. Tentative Date: January 11, 2005. Venue: LESTARI, UKM

R&D Project Development to generate local case studies for policy makers and develop indicators for environmental hazards and emerging diseases. This will be led by LESTARI in close collaboration with IMR and JMG, and participation of other organisations.

Dissemination of Information through articles in journals and newsletters. The drafts will be made available at the website.

PREVIOUS ACTIVITIES

Coordination Meetings:

2003: Two meetings were held in 2003 to coordinate the organization of the first Workshop on Medical Geology in Malaysia (Workshop on Medical Geology: Metals, Health and the Environment, Kuala Lumpur, 8 & 9 December 2003). The meetings, held in LESTARI and IMR, were attended by Dr. Joy J. Pereira (LESTARI), Dr. Stephen Ambu (IMR), and Saim Suratman (JMG). About 50 invitations to the Workshop were sent out to scientists in the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and other countries in the region. Unfortunately, due to the time of year and relatively short notice, many were unable to attend.

2004: A meeting was held on 14 February 2004 to discuss the follow-up to the Workshop. The meeting was attended by Dr. Joy J. Pereira (LESTARI), Dr. Stephen Ambu (IMR), and a representative from JMG. The meeting agreed that the tripartite institutional arrangement to promote medical geology will continue, with LESTARI functioning as the Secretariat. A research project will also be initiated by the group to increase the participation of scientists in this field. The project will focus on developing local case studies to strengthen policy advocacy as well as increase the capacity of researchers in this field.

Workshop on Medical Geology: Metals, Health and the Environment, Kuala Lumpur (8 & 9 December 2003):

Medical Geology was first introduced in Malaysia at the Workshop on Medical Geology: Metals, Health and the Environment, held at the Institute for Medical Research Malaysia (IMR) in Kuala Lumpur on 8th and 9th December 2003. The Workshop was convened by the Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI) of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, the Environmental Health Research Centre (EHRC), the Minerals and Geoscience Department Malaysia (JMG), and COGEOENVIRONMENT. It was jointly sponsored by the U.S. Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), US Geological Survey (USGS), Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU), International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), International Medical Geology Association (IMGA), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), International Geological Correlation Programme IGCP#454 and International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU).

About 40 professionals comprising practitioners and researchers from various government departments attended the Workshop. Among these were hydrogeologists, geochemists, chemists, soil scientists, biologists, environmental scientists, toxicologists, parasitologists, epidemiologist, public health engineers and other medical researchers.

The Workshop was led by Directors of the newly established International Medical Geology Association, Dr. Olle Selinus of the SGU, Dr. Robert B. Finkelman of the USGS and Dr. Jose A. Centeno of the AFIP. The most recent information on the relationships between toxic metal ions, trace elements, and their impacts on environmental and public health issues were discussed. The scientific topics included environmental toxicology, environmental pathology, geochemistry, geoenvironmental epidemiology, extent, patterns and consequences of exposures to toxic metal ions in the general environment, biological risk assessment, modern trends in metal analysis and updates on the geology, toxicology and pathology of metal ion and dust exposures.

On completion of the Workshop, the participants obtained information on the types of evidence available about geological sources and processes and manifestations of exposures to toxic metal species. They also obtained an elementary understanding of environmental toxicology, epidemiology and medical geology as applied to the study of toxic metal species and trace elements.

PUBLICATIONS

Finkelman R.B., Centeno, J.A., Selinus, O., Pereira, J.J. 2004. Medical Geology: An Emerging Discipline. Submitted to Environmental Health Focus, publication of the EHRC and IMR, with support from WHO.

Pereira, J.J., Stephen Ambu, Saim Suratman and Hamzah Mohamad 2004. Strengthening Environmental Health in Malaysia – Linking Medical Geology to Health and the Environment. Submitted to Environmental Health Focus, publication of the EHRC and IMR, with support from WHO.