The Role of Global Air Pollution in Aging and Disease

Dr. Finch’s major research interest is the study of basic mechanisms in human aging with a focus on inflammation. He has received numerous awards in biomedical gerontology, including the Robert W. Kleemeier Award of the Gerontological Society of America in 1985, the Sandoz Premier Prize by the International Geriatric Association in 1995, and the Irving Wright Award of AFAR and the Research Award of AGE in 1999. He was the founder of the NIA-funded Alzheimer Disease Research Center in 1984 and currently serves as co- Director. Dr. Finch became a University Distinguished Professor in 1989, an honor held by sixteen other professors at USC who contribute to multiple fields. He is a member of five editorial boards and has written four books including The Biology of Human Longevity (Academic Press 2007) as well as over 470 articles.

"The author discusses what he calls the three smokes: cigarette smoke, outdoor or ambient airpollution, and indoor air pollution.The text is authoritative and well referenced. It is easy to read. Finch generally avoids the repetition and unevenness often seen in multiauthored books. He occasionally uses jargon unnecessarily, and he does not always clearly define terms on their first usage. There are occasional printing errors and at least one graphic illustration from the World Health Organization is of poor quality. The audience is not well defined: although the subject matter is suited for an educated general audience, the explanations at times are not clear enough for anyone not in the field. Despite these minor detractions, the volume is a nice compilation of the topic. Advocates for clean air as well as workers in this field will find it useful and worthwhile." --The Quarterly Review of Biology

• 1. Air Pollution history in health and lifespan2. The nature of Air Pollution3. Air Pollution and adult disease4. Air Pollution in human development5. Air Pollution in future human health and life spans