Understanding and assessing the myriad environmental problems that face society today and devising rational strategies and methods for their control are two of the major international challenges of our time. There is a global demand for pollution abatement, but adequate and appropriate measures for pollution control, pollution prevention, and remediation of past environmental degradation requires sound technical knowledge of the factors and processes involved. Environmental science is the complex and dynamic interaction of diverse scientific disciplines, including earth and agricultural sciences, chemistry, biology, medicine, and engineering, and the development of new disciplines such as environmental toxicology and risk assessment. This journal serves as an international forum for the critical review of current knowledge on the broad range of topics in environmental science. It addresses current problems of the day and the scientific basis for new pollution control technologies. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology provides comprehensive and timely reviews by the leading authorities in each subject area.