ABSTRACT
The history of environmental and occupational health has been built on the premise that lower exposure is always better. This perspective is seen within the framework of environmental and occupational health exposure standards, as such standards have often reflected a progressive step-by-step sequence of stricter regulations. The hormesis phenomenon has been extensively reported in the biological literature, being found in essentially all types of biological systems, from bacteria to humans, in all cell types, and across all levels of biological organization. The fundamental feature of preconditioning against a subsequent damaging stress is that the dose of the preconditioning agent needs to be high enough to have a biological stimulatory/initiating function yet at a sub-threshold level with respect to causing harm or injury. The concept of preconditioning has the potential to significantly affect the health of military personnel, workers, and the general public via means that are simple, efficient, low tech, and inexpensive.
