We are running a collective chemical fever that we cannot break. Everyone everywhere now carries a dizzying array of chemical contaminants, the by-products of modern industry and innovation that contribute to a host of developmental deficits and health problems in ways just now being understood. These toxic substances, unknown to our grandparents, accumulate in our fat, bones, blood, and organs as a consequence of womb-to-tomb exposure to industrial substances as common as the products that contain them. Almost everything we encounter?from soap to soup cans and computers to clothing?contributes to a chemical load unique to each of us. Scientists studying the phenomenon refer to it as ?chemical body burden,? and in The Body Toxic, the investigative journalist Nena Baker explores the many factors that have given rise to this condition?from manufacturing breakthroughs to policy decisions to political pressure to the demands of popular culture. While chemical advances have helped raise our standard of living, making our lives easier and safer in many ways, there are costs to these conveniences that chemical companies would rather consumers never knew about. Baker draws back the curtain on this untold impact and assesses where we go from here.
fascinating November 14, 2008 The topic is fascinating, and the work well researched and factually specific. One can only hope that the public and the governmental agencies sit up and take notice.
A Must Read November 12, 2008 This book is well researched and invaluable to understanding the hazardous chemicals that we are exposed to every day. Its strength is that the author, Ms. Baker, does not make conclusory statements without factual and scientific substantiation, like some books in this area unfortunately do. (Compare "The Body Toxic" with "Poisoned Profits: The Toxic Assault on Our Children.") Ms. Baker carefully and precisely sets forth the scientific facts underlying the book's theme yet does so in an engaging way by including real-life stories that illustrate the hazards behind the scientific facts. The way that she exposes the dangers of assuming that the FDA is protecting the public with regard to these chemicals is especially compelling. In summary, "The Body Toxic" is an exceptionally well-written investigative book that we can't afford to ignore.
Read this book! November 9, 2008 "A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel agreed Friday that the agency had erred in August when it said that a chemical widely used in baby bottles and other plastic packaging for foods and beverages posed no health risks." This is a quote from and article that appeared in The Washington Post on Nov 1, 2008. Newspapers across the country reported what many, including Baker, already knew to be true. The panel, made up of toxicology experts, also concluded that the FDA had relied too heavily on studies funded by industry. Baker has brought to light information about toxics that the industry would prefer to be kept from the public. Baker does not draw conclusions beyond her reach, rather she presents valuable data about a number of toxic chemicals through stories about people who have given their lives to the subject. At times, I wished she had more vehemently opposed the use of toxics in consumer products. I wished she had pointed the finger directly at the companies and executives making millions of dollars by polluting our environment and introducing toxic chemicals to our bodies. But then she would have been no better than the industry PR flaks who had been trying to convince the public that BPA was safe because the FDA said it was safe. Well, now we know that the FDA needs to revisit the subject. Now we know what our guts already knew: everytime you make a purchase, ask yourself if it's really worth the potential damage to our bodies and our planet. As I type this from my Apple laptop (one of the most toxic products on the market), I appreciate Baker's less than accusatory tone, but her book compels me to make better decisions going forward.
A Scare Polemic November 8, 2008 1 out of 2 found this review helpful
The book only includes the science that supports the author's point of view. Any other science, including the FDA, is considered a product of an industry conspiracy. Its an old story of a pseudoscience environmental/product scare that is not established when the science is done. In the meantime, the economy is harmed and we are inconvenienced by the "my food is poisoned" scare. How many books would she sell if she reported that our food is safe?
Chemical timebomb exposed October 12, 2008 If anyone wonders what have we done to ourselves in the past fifty years, or if anyone is concerned about your own health or those you care about, let alone the world we live in, you gotta read this book! The Body Toxic is the most informative, well-written and useful book of any of the books I've read about the reality of toxic chemicals in our everyday lives and products (and bodies). This book is written by a journalist who knows how to explore and expose how we got into this mess and then explains what the challenges and problems are concerning some of the chemicals I hear about sometimes in the news. Like bisphenol A, phthalates, flame retardants and those perfluorinated substances that the Environmental Working group and others call the "teflon" chemicals. What I appreciated most in this book is how The Body Toxic ends with examples of what other countries like Canada and Europe are doing to better protect people from toxic chemicals everyday and then gives examples of some simple changes everyone one of us can make to help reduce exposures. Since I read this book, I have been changing the way I shop, cook and buy. I read labels from food to cleaning supplies to shampoo and conditioners and more. Overall, this book is a thoughtful, thoroughly researched and important book. As I finished it, I could tell that this is the beginning of a subject that needs to become a national conversation for changing the way we live. I strongly recommend it.
All rights reserved. Amazon.com is a trademark of Amazon.com Information about prices, products, services and merchants is provided by third parties and is for informational purposes only. Caribbean Travel Books does not represent or warrant the accuracy or reliability of the information, and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use.
