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They will be better able to pinpoint the effects of their Frankensteinian creations, and not for our benefit, for theirs. Of the 75,000 chemicals now in commercial use , barely a fraction have been tested for cancer causing agents. (opinion not in book)When Public Health agencies are more interested in confusing folks with "lifestyle change" and other propoganda when they know the truth;, that we are living in a toxic environment, why should we believe them when they tell us that the national health data base is for our own good. Do we really believe the new national health care plan is for our benefit.
It explains what the chemicals are, where they come from and the effect upon our bodies and our babies. At its heart is the nature of the "vast national irresponsibility" concerning the toxic mixtures of chemicals released into our environment. Basically, manufacturers can introduce any number of chemicals into the environment without those chemicals having been tested. 30 yrs ago."2005 Univ of Rochester, NY report higher phthalate levels (from plastics) in pregnant women were associated with changes in the genitals of baby boys; specifically, they had lower levels of male hormones.
Many of us believe that our government is protecting us from poisons when in fact it is promoting the further use of poisons. Nor are they regulated. These chemicals enter our soil, air, and water supply. Finally they enter our bodies via eating, breathing, and drinking. This book is a page-turner, exciting and scary and above all educational.
'the Centers for Disease Control's Jim Pirkle says 'The big concern of the phthalates is that they have anti-androgen activity. They get rid of things that are in the testosterone line , the things that make a man.'" This book further solidified my conviction that Americans must stop relying on the government to protect us. I don't believe that our government is interested in health care when it runs smack into money-making corporations. We can't go on trusting the government to keep us safe in any area, be it health-related or economic. Our own government is allowing us to die of cancers and other diseases just so corporations can have their way. As Public Health agencies keep telling us to change our "lifestyles" to prevent cancer, they are hiding the fact that over 90% of cancers are caused by the environment. Or is it for the benefit of the bio-engineering corporations.
While our government researches "cancer genes" and promotes "Lifestyle changes" , waiting for dead bodies as proof of environmental causes of cancer is "tantamount to running an uncontrolled experiment using human subjects." In other words, our government allows many people to die from a carcinogen before they label a chemical a carcinogen. (my words)The author promotes "The Precautionary Principle: indication of harm, rather than proof of harm, should be the trigger for action."Reverse onus: it is safety rather than harm, that should necessitate demonstration.Read this book if you would like to know more about these findings: "A 2005 report by the Environmental Working Group found an average of over 200 industrial compounds, pollutants, and other chemicals in the umbilical cord blood of newborns - including 7 dangerous pesticides - some of which were banned in the U.S. This way they will have all of our medical records available for even better use of the American people for experiments. Read this book and find out just how much our government is protecting us.
There's an image that stands out from this book, that encapsulates its heart and soul. Reading this book, one questions not so much why we, or our fathers, or our sisters get cancer, but why we as a society let this brokenness go on and think we can be immune from its effects. A heart broken for us.
These cells live on in cancer research, continuing to divide and offer themselves up, though the nun has since passed on. And it is all the bodies that still pile up in brokenness. the image of a petri dish with a deceased nun's "immortal" breast cells.
Again, it is Steingraber, as she loses her best friend to cancer and reveals some of her most intimate thoughts about the experience. Regarding these cells, Steingraber makes the comment, "This is my body broken for you."A body broken for us. That is Steingraber herself, who was diagnosed with cancer, as a young woman still in college.
one in three Americans now get cancer, she reminds us.It is also the brokenness of animals, soil, earth, water, and air--each of which she examines with a keen scientific eye, loads of research, and surprising poignancy. I wish that we'd all read this book and begin to put the pieces together again.
Anyone who has ever wondered about the environmental causes of cancer will be fascinated by this book. Steingraber is a gifted writer and a solid scientist (a rare but good combination) and she weaves scientific research and personal story together in a skillful way. The gist is that damning results from initial studies on the environmental causes of cancer need further study, but when all these initial studies are brought together like this it surely seems we are our own worst enemy when it comes to these terrible illnesses.
Steingraber builds the case, simultaneously removing all doubt that certain chemicals are responsible for cancer outbreaks in certain areas while showing us that the case cannot be proved to the satisfaction of the regulatory agencies (who are themselves heavily influenced by the offending companies). The vast majority of chemicals released into the environment have not been held up to proper scrutiny.
Cancer survivor Sandra Steingraber is a poet at heart, and a scientist by trade. This is a powerful and moving account that dissects, piece by piece, the system which allows cancer-causing chemical agents to be released within the United States, primarily by corporations.
With impeccable logic, Steingraber frightens the bejeezus out of us by demonstrating that, when it comes to protecting the environment and public health, no one is driving the bus. For me, the weakest parts of the book were the ones in which the poet takes over, speaking in deeply personal dramatic tones that, quite frankly, made me a little uncomfortable.
Much more interesting is the scathing indictment of the processes by which chemicals are regulated in the United States. For chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or other problems, there is an almost impossibly high burden of proof put on those who seek to have the chemicals banned.
A detective story, an expose, and a lyrical narrative all in one, Steingraber has given concrete form to the sometimes-vague notion that Corporate America is behind many of our country's biggest threats.
Because of the immense importance of the subject matter- chemical contamination of our environment, this book was written for a general audience and Ms Steingraber's writing style flows with easy to understand, but alarming expose' of the hazards of chemicals in our environment.It is a beautiful continuation of Rachel Carson's work of environmental responsibility and the examination of the dangers of chemical contamination of our shared world.Ms Carson's famous book, "Silent Spring", published in 1962, opened up to the public the hideous side-effects of chemicals, i.e., cancer causing, biome pollution and disruption, and killing of non-targeted species. They publish guidelines for changing one's "lifestyle" to help reduce chemical exposure. A good summation of this irresponsible nonsense is quoted from the anthropologist, Martha Balshem: [In the end, Balshem came to believe the lesson she was transmitting-"accept authority and accept blame"-was the wrong one]. Carson's work eventually led to the banning of that harmful chemical, but as Ms Steingraber so expertly points out, there is a plethora of other dangerous chemicals on the market that tests have shown should not be.Sandra Steingraber wrote her book over 35 years after "Silent Spring" and having the benefit of a huge amount of accumulated evidence of chemical side-effects and personal experience with the serious health problems caused by chemical contamination of our environment, she has put together a powerful indictment of the irresponsibility of industry and government alike in their continuing agenda of down-playing the dangers of chemicals and this constitutes one of the most irresponsible and insidious snake-oil scams ever perpetrated against life. I found it to be a great honor to Rachel Carson's legacy- thank you Ms Steingraber. Huge corporate profits from the sale of deadly, often-time untested or inadequately tested chemicals purchase lackadaisical government over-sight and slick advertising on the "benefits" of chemicals.This book is well researched and concise, yet will give simple explanations of such topics as "biomagnification"- the accumulation of chemicals the higher up the food chain we go. Remember the Brown Pelican and Bald Eagle almost being killed-off from DDT poisoning. In other words, they attempt to shift responsibility for health on to the public who has no control over or proper warnings of where these chemicals are and most ludicrous of this is the fact that the spread of chemicals cannot be controlled once released into the environment, so they're everywhere and unavoidable.
Most importantly, is the topic of "risk as recklessness" in taking dangerous chemicals to market without proper safety testing, but especially allowing known carcinogens to remain on the market long after they have proven to be harmful, hence, government complicity. And the governments stand on this. (p 262) Indeed.The Epilog starting on page 285 is a good resource guide for finding out more about chemicals, government agencies "responsible" for monitoring their use, where chemicals are concentrated, educational materials, etc.Sandra Steingraber has put together a beautiful, important and educational statement in this book and it is one of the most profound publications of it's type since "Silent Spring".
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