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Our daily poison : from pesticides to packaging, how chemicals have contaminated the food chain and are making us sick / Marie-Monique Robin ; translated by Allison Schein and Lara Vergnaud.

By: Contributor(s): Material type: TextTextLanguage: English Original language: French Publisher: New York, NY : The New Press, 2014Description: 470 pages ; 25 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 1595589090
  • 9781595589095
Uniform titles:
  • Notre poison quotidien. English
Subject(s):
Contents:
Part I: Pesticides are poisons. The Ruffec appeal and the battle of Paul François ; Chemical weapons recycled for agriculture ; "Elixirs of death" ; Ill from pesticides -- Pesticides and cancer: consistent studies -- The unstoppable rise of pesticides and neurodegenerative diseases -- Part II: Science and industry: manufacturing doubt. The sinister side of progress ; Industry lays down the law ; Mercenaries of science ; Institutional lies ; An epidemic of chronic diseases -- Part III: Regulation at industry's beck and call. The colossal scientific masquerade behind poisons' "acceptable daily intakes" ; The unsolvable conundrum of "maximum residue limits" ; Aspartame and regulation: how industry is pulling the strings ; The dangers of Aspartame and the silence of public authorities -- Part IV: The shocking scandal of endocrine disruptors. "Men in peril": is the human species in danger? ; Distilbene: the "perfect model"? ; The case of Bisphenol A: a Pandora's box ; The cocktail effect --Conclusion : A paradigm shift.
Summary: Over the last thirty years, we have seen an increase in rates of cancer, neurodegenerative disease, reproductive disorders, and diabetes, particularly in developed countries. At the same time, since the end of World War II approximately 100,000 synthetic chemical molecules have invaded our environment--and our food chain. In Our Daily Poison, award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker Marie-Monique Robin investigates the links between these two concerning trends, revealing how corporate interests and our ignorance about these invisible poisons may be costing us our lives. The result of a rigorous two-year-long investigation that took Robin across three continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), Our Daily Poison documents the many ways in which we encounter a shocking array of chemicals in our everyday lives--from the pesticides that blanket our crops to the additives and plastics that contaminate our food--and their effects on our bodies over time. Gathering as evidence scientific studies, testimonies of international regulatory agencies, and interviews with farm workers suffering from acute chronic poisoning, Robin makes a compelling case for outrage and action.
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Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 363.7384 R655 Available 33111008860856
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

"An enlightening and deeply disturbing account" of the dangerous chemicals that have infiltrated our food, by the Rachel Carson Prize-winning journalist (Booklist ).

Our Daily Poison is "a gripping and urgent book" for anyone concerned about democracy, corporate power, or public health (Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved ). In it, award-winning journalist and filmmaker Marie-Monique Robin travels across North America, Europe, and Asia to document the shocking array of chemicals we encounter in our daily lives--from the pesticides that blanket our crops to the additives and plastics that contaminate our food--and their effects on our health over time.

Following the trail of the synthetic molecules in our environment and our food, Robin traces the ugly history of industrial chemical production, as well as the shoddy regulatory system for chemical products that still operates today. Using scientific studies, expert testimony, and interviews with farmworkers suffering from acute chronic poisoning, Robin demonstrates how corporate interests--and our own ignorance--may be costing us our lives.

"What Rachel Carson's groundbreaking Silent Spring did for the environmental movement, Robin is doing for awareness of toxins in the food chain." -- Publishers Weekly

"This may be one of the most important books of the year." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Full of facts, stories, and wisdom." -- The Huffington Post

Originally published in French as: Notre poison quotidien (Paris : Découverte, 2011).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part I: Pesticides are poisons. The Ruffec appeal and the battle of Paul François ; Chemical weapons recycled for agriculture ; "Elixirs of death" ; Ill from pesticides -- Pesticides and cancer: consistent studies -- The unstoppable rise of pesticides and neurodegenerative diseases -- Part II: Science and industry: manufacturing doubt. The sinister side of progress ; Industry lays down the law ; Mercenaries of science ; Institutional lies ; An epidemic of chronic diseases -- Part III: Regulation at industry's beck and call. The colossal scientific masquerade behind poisons' "acceptable daily intakes" ; The unsolvable conundrum of "maximum residue limits" ; Aspartame and regulation: how industry is pulling the strings ; The dangers of Aspartame and the silence of public authorities -- Part IV: The shocking scandal of endocrine disruptors. "Men in peril": is the human species in danger? ; Distilbene: the "perfect model"? ; The case of Bisphenol A: a Pandora's box ; The cocktail effect --Conclusion : A paradigm shift.

Over the last thirty years, we have seen an increase in rates of cancer, neurodegenerative disease, reproductive disorders, and diabetes, particularly in developed countries. At the same time, since the end of World War II approximately 100,000 synthetic chemical molecules have invaded our environment--and our food chain. In Our Daily Poison, award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker Marie-Monique Robin investigates the links between these two concerning trends, revealing how corporate interests and our ignorance about these invisible poisons may be costing us our lives. The result of a rigorous two-year-long investigation that took Robin across three continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), Our Daily Poison documents the many ways in which we encounter a shocking array of chemicals in our everyday lives--from the pesticides that blanket our crops to the additives and plastics that contaminate our food--and their effects on our bodies over time. Gathering as evidence scientific studies, testimonies of international regulatory agencies, and interviews with farm workers suffering from acute chronic poisoning, Robin makes a compelling case for outrage and action.

Translated from the French.

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