| Vendor | |
|---|---|
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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher |
| Original language | |
| English | |
| Weblink | |
| mckayjenkins.com | |
CONTAMINATION
My Quest to Survive in a Toxic World
An investigation into the dangers of the chemicals present in our daily lives, with practical advice for reducing these toxins in our bodies and homes.
A few years ago, journalism professor McKay Jenkins went in for a routine medical exam. What doctors found was not routine at all: a tumor, the size of an orange, was lurking in his abdomen. When Jenkins returned to the hospital to have the tumor removed, he was visited by several researchers. How much exposure had he had to toxic chemicals and other contaminants? Asbestos dust? Vinyl chlorine? Pesticides? A million questions, all about seemingly obscure chemicals.
Jenkins, an exercise nut and enviro-conscious, organic-garden kind of guy, suddenly realized he’d spent his life marinating in toxic stuff, from his wall-to-wall carpeting, to his dryer sheets, to his drinking water. And from the moment he left the hospital, he resolved to discover the truth about chemicals and the “healthy” levels of exposure we encounter each day.
Jenkins spent the next two years digging, exploring five frontiers of toxic exposure: the body, the home, the drinking water, the lawn, and the local store—and asking how we allowed ourselves to get to this point. He soon learned that the giants of the chemical industry operate virtually unchecked, and parents have almost no way of finding out what the toys their children are putting into their mouths are made of.
Most importantly, though, Jenkins wanted to know what we can do to turn things around. Though toxins may be present in the products we all use every day—from ant spray, perfume, and grass seed to shower curtains and, yes, baby shampoo—there are ways to lessen our exposure. CONTAMINATION is an eye-opening report from the front lines of consumer advocacy.
McKay Jenkins holds degrees from Amherst College, Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, and Princeton, where he received a Ph.D. in English. He is the author of The Last Ridge, The White Death, and Bloody Falls of the Coppermine. A professor of English, journalism, and environmental humanities at the University of Delaware, Jenkins lives with his wife and two children in Baltimore.
Jenkins, an exercise nut and enviro-conscious, organic-garden kind of guy, suddenly realized he’d spent his life marinating in toxic stuff, from his wall-to-wall carpeting, to his dryer sheets, to his drinking water. And from the moment he left the hospital, he resolved to discover the truth about chemicals and the “healthy” levels of exposure we encounter each day.
Jenkins spent the next two years digging, exploring five frontiers of toxic exposure: the body, the home, the drinking water, the lawn, and the local store—and asking how we allowed ourselves to get to this point. He soon learned that the giants of the chemical industry operate virtually unchecked, and parents have almost no way of finding out what the toys their children are putting into their mouths are made of.
Most importantly, though, Jenkins wanted to know what we can do to turn things around. Though toxins may be present in the products we all use every day—from ant spray, perfume, and grass seed to shower curtains and, yes, baby shampoo—there are ways to lessen our exposure. CONTAMINATION is an eye-opening report from the front lines of consumer advocacy.
McKay Jenkins holds degrees from Amherst College, Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, and Princeton, where he received a Ph.D. in English. He is the author of The Last Ridge, The White Death, and Bloody Falls of the Coppermine. A professor of English, journalism, and environmental humanities at the University of Delaware, Jenkins lives with his wife and two children in Baltimore.
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Book
Published 2016-01-26 by Avery |
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Book
Published 2016-01-26 by Avery |