Environmental hazards of interest to the forensic pathologist

The hazards associated with occupational exposure to various workplace contaminants (lead, silica, etc.) have been known for a number of years. Until recently, the potential toxic effects of exposures on the male reproductive system had not been appreciated. This article not only discusses recent studies in that area, but gives clinical examples of how environmental exposures (water, soil, air, and dwellings) can affect various organs in the human body. Awareness that these injuries can occur without obvious relationship to these environmental exposures may help the forensic pathologist discover previously unsuspected hazards.