"The review chapters in this volume were the basis for a two day short course ... held at the United States Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California, U.S.A. (December 9-10, 2006)"--P. [iii]

Includes bibliographical references.

The emergent field of medical mineralogy and geochemistry / Nita Sahai, Martin A.A. Schoonen, H. Catherine W. Skinner -- The toxicological geochemistry of earth materials : an overview of processes and the interdisciplinary methods used to understand them / Geoffrey S. Plumlee, Suzette A. Morman, Thomas L. Ziegler -- Metal speciation and its role in bioaccessibility and bioavailability / Richard J. Reeder, Martin A.A. Schoonen, Antonio Lanzirotti -- Aluminum, Alzheimer's Disease and the geospatial occurrence of similar disorders / Daniel P. Perl, Sharon Moalem -- Potential role of soil in the transmission of prion disease / P.T. Schramm ... [et al.] -- Interaction of iron and calcium minerals in coals and their roles in coal dust-induced health and environmental problems / Xi Huang ... [et al.] -- Mineral-induced formation of reactive oxygen species / Martin A.A. Schoonen ... [et al.] -- Bone : nature of the calcium phosphate crystals and cellular, structural, and physical chemical mechanisms in their formation / Melvin J. Glimcher -- Silicate biomaterials for orthopaedic and dental implants / Marta CerruNital Sahai -- 10. Living cells in oxide glasses / Jacques Livage, Thibaud Coradin.