A look at the chemicals surrounding us that's "hard-hitting . . . yet
also instills hope for a future in which consumers make safer, more
informed choices" (The Washington Post).
Pollution is no longer just about belching smokestacks and ugly sewer
pipes--now, it's personal.
The most dangerous pollution, it turns out, comes from commonplace items
in our homes and workplaces. To prove this point, for one week Rick
Smith and Bruce Lourie ingested and inhaled a host of things that
surround all of us. Using their own bodies as the reference point to
tell the story of pollution in our modern world, they expose the
corporate giants who manufacture the toxins, the government officials
who let it happen, and the effects on people and families across the
globe.
This book--the testimony of their experience--also exposes the extent to
which we are poisoned every day of our lives, from the simple household
dust that is polluting our blood to the toxins in our urine that are
created by run-of-the-mill shampoos and toothpaste. Ultimately hopeful,
the book empowers readers with some simple ideas for protecting
themselves and their families, and changing things for the better.
"Undertaking a cheeky experiment in self-contamination, professional
Canadian environmentalists Smith and Lourie expose themselves to
hazardous everyday substances, then measure the consequences . . .
Throughout, the duo weave scientific data and recent political history
into an amusing but unnerving narrative, refusing to sugarcoat any of
the data while maintaining a welcome sense of humor." --Publishers
Weekly (starred review)
