What an interesting book! It’s very heavy, lots of facts and jargon, but very eye opening!

I certainly learned a lot through my read and hope I soaked up more information then I feel I did. I appreciated not only learning more about chemicals and the effects they have (quite possibly a contributor to so many “common” health problems we see today), but also hearing some stories of cleanup ventures and discussing ways in which we can move forward. Unfortunately I think humanity is a bit slow on the uptake for a lot of things, and I’m sure chemical and toxin use will continue to be part of that list!

If you are looking to educate yourself further on environmental issues related to chemicals, give this one a try!

Thank you to Netgalley, Cambridge University Press, and Julian Cribb for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book by Julian Cribb addresses the many dangerous effects of the growing number of chemical pollutants in our environment. The version I read had 10 chapters, and about 250 pages, not including the Notes section.

The first few chapters discuss various forms of chemical contamination, with the help of a few tragic example cases to illustrate some of the dangers. There are many different types of chemical pollution discussed, including: mining industry waste, byproducts of the coal industry, chemical weapons research, nuclear waste, garbage and hazard materials waste. Cribb describes how some chemicals are making their way into marine life, even at extreme depth in the ocean. There are diagrams and explanations of chemical circulation, and analysis of indoor vs outdoor air pollutants.

Cribb has collected a ton of information, and he presents data on micro-plastics in our bodies, water dead zones, BPA babies, pesticides, and even carcinogenic cosmetic products. The chapter titled “Diabolic Cocktail” focuses on the known and unknown biological effects of the combinations of these various chemicals in our bodies. Cribb also discusses the phenomenon of decreasing global intelligence, and speculation that this trend might be related to chemical contamination.

The last three chapters focus on ways to address the growing problems. Cribb lists some practices that can be adopted, like material flow analysis, product stewardship, green manufacturing, and regenerative farming. There is also a list of organizations that are currently working toward a cleaner planet, and a “10-point plan” of general steps to take to make the Earth a cleaner place in the future.

This book left me feeling somewhat pessimistic about the future. The author points out that the first step in the process of change is to have a large enough number of people become aware of the problems, so that they demand action be taken by their governments. This is a huge step, because although local-level issues have occasionally affected enough people for there to be an outcry, the dangers of chemical pollutants on a global scale are much less obvious to the average human. I'm not sure how long it will take for there to be enough of an obvious impact, and for citizens demand government action to implement some of the changes suggested in this book.

3 stars

Lots of Data but no HEA.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A look at how humans make use of natural and man-made products and the effect it is having on the planet. It is not country or continent-specific. Gives a bit on how things could be handle for the future, but mainly deal with the damage being done up until now.

This is a book trying to open eyes off all the sapiens, munching on burgers and passing their time in front of blue light screens.
Few people in the name of capitalism and in an effort to add more digits in their online bank accounts, are destroying everything.
Book covers everything. Chemicals. Leaks. Accidents. Overuse. Fads. Cosmetics. Hormone disrupters. Fertilizers. Perfumes. Politicians. Heavy metals. And possible remedies.
An interesting book with wide lens.
It is interesting to read.
Wish it could have little less amount of data.
A highly recommend book for real busy unaware fat sapiens.