How the toxicity of everyday life affects our health is the landmark book about the toxicity of everyday life and is now updated, revised and reissued for its 10th anniversary, along with the experiments from rick smith and bruce louries second book,toxin toxout. A rubber duck is one of those items commonly found in homes and is perceived as rather harmless but the title of this text suggests that items such as the. That vinyl plaything owes its pliability to chemicals called phthalates. This book by canadian authors examines the alarming invasion of manmade chemicals into every corner of our world including our bodies. The european commission has told its consumer affairs commissioner emma bonino to advise member states of the potential risks of pvc with a view to them taking action on it.
Smith tells guy raz that writing the book was like conducting an. The humble rubber duck may be forced to undergo a makeover because of fears that it may be toxic. My baby playing in the water with toxic chemicals is not a picture i want to imagine. How the toxicity of everyday life affects our health 2009, knopf canada, reissued 2019, knopf canada and toxin toxout. The innocuous rubber duck, for example, offers a poison soup of. Apr 06, 2010 funny, thoughtprovoking, and incredibly disturbing, slow death by rubber duck reveals that just the living of daily life creates a chemical soup inside each of us.
Funny, thoughtprovoking, and incredibly disturbing, slow death by rubber duck reveals that just the living of daily life creates a chemical soup inside each of us. After reading these two sobering works, which, respectively, investigate chemical agriculture versus organic farming and the toxic. This is an excellent book about the dangerous chemicals we surround ourselves with everyday. May 21, 2009 while researching their new book, slow death by rubber duck, they consciously exposed themselves to everyday products food, cleaners, soap and shampoos and measured the levels of chemicals that. We have ordered closure of the plant and sealing of the entire premises.
Nontoxic bath toys natural rubber as a safe alternative to. Rubber processing industry consumes large volumes of water, chemicals and produces enormous amounts of wastewater. The second book is roughly arranged according to how toxic chemicals can be. Bruce lourie and rick smith take toxic chemicals personally very personally. Rubber ducks, dancing cats and mutagenic pajamas all in one book. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in their general health and the wellbeing of our planet. Getting harmful chemicals out of our bodies and our world 20, knopf canada in.
Slow death by rubber duck, how the toxic chemistry of. To illustrate the ease with which these pollutants accumulate in the human body we experimented on ourselves, attempting to raise and lower levels of seven toxic chemicals bpa, phthalates, brominated flame retardants, perfluorinated nonstick chemicals, triclosan, pesticides and mercury in our blood and urine through. May 23, 2011 slow death by rubber duck yes thats the real title of a recent book written by two toxicologists that reveals some of the many toxic chemicals we come in contact with in modern society. Living in a toxic soup in slow death by rubber duck, authors rick smith and bruce lourie show how, the living of daily life creates a toxic soup inside each of us. The book is right up my alley and its a must read in my opinion. Fragrance phthalates watch for phthalates in body products, air fresheners, and soft plastics often used in shower curtains and toys including the rubber duck for which their book is named. Types of polyisoprene that are used as natural rubbers are classified as elastomers. Bbc consumer affairs correspondent denise mahoney reports.
Oct, 2009 my coauthor bruce lourie and i set out to draw back the curtain on this strange world of toxic chemicals in unlikely places in our new book slow death by rubber duck. May 10, 2010 slow death by rubber duck has one non chemical ingredient that catapulted it to the top of the charts. Jan 16, 2018 before we talk about non toxic alternatives, here is a brief description of the seven chemicals they tested. Still, scariest of all, the authors expose in detail the inescapable saturation of the environment with persistant chemicals such as mercury, pcbs, and ddt. Ultimately hopeful, the book empowers readers with some simple ideas for protecting. However, laboratory studies on animals show that they may be poisonous if released into the environment. The authors give many suggestions for making simple changes that can help rid your home of unnecessary chemicals. Slow death by rubber duck assumes i dont know anything about toxic chemicals in our everyday lives, and shares it with me as if i had a university statistics professor as my neighbor, chatting over our morning coffee about our morning coffee. Jul 08, 2009 to help us do this comes a book from two of canadas leading environmentalists, called slow death by rubber duck.
Review of slow death by rubber duck 1074 words report example. Toxins in our urine caused by leaching from plastics and. How the toxic chemistry of everyday life affects our health by rick smith, bruce lourie, sarah dopp and a great selection of related books. It didnt get shuffled to the top of the stack until i learned that the authors published their latest book, toxin toxout. How the toxic chemistry of everyday life affects our health at. The innocuous rubber duck, for example, offers a poison soup of phthalates that permeate the environment and humans. Another good book about environmental toxins is the hundredyear lie i enjoyed both, but found slow death by rubber duck far more entertaining and more useful in terms of mitigating the impact of these chemicals in our daily lives. Slow death by rubber duck book sheds light on everyday exposure to toxic chemicals i found this book to be a bit boring but it had a lot of information on some of the deadly chemicals in the every day things that we use and wouldnt expect to be carrying these chemicals. Review of slow death by rubber duck 1074 words report. Rubber is also called india rubber, latex, amazonian rubber, caucho or caoutchouc, as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds, plus water. Vinyl in its natural state is quite a rigid material, so if you want to make.
Rubber ducks, dancing cats and mutagenic pajamas all in. Pollution is not only an abstract, distant problem seen in belching smokestacks and contaminated waterways. At this moment in history, the image conjured up by the word pollution is just as properly an innocent rubber duck as it is a giant smoke stack. Studies have shown that significant levels of toxic substances can leach out of commonplace items in our homes and workplaces. The secret danger of toxic chemicals in everyday things. Getting harmful chemicals out of our bodies and our world. The chemicals used in pvc help to make toys more flexible. Suspected coronavirushit drug plant shut in karnataka. Slow death by rubber duck book sheds light on everyday exposure to toxic chemicals. The book slow death by rubber duck has been updated with. Through a dozen experiments, smith and lourie examined the impacts of chemicals including teflon, triclosan, and bisphenol a better known as bpa on their own bodies.
Using a variety of test methods, the authors determined individual body burdens, or the toxic chemical load we carry. Getting harmful chemicals out of our bodies and our world and slow death by rubber duck. Jan 01, 20 bruce lourie and rick smith, two of north americas environmental leaders, have been asked this question on an almost daily basis since the publication of their runaway international bestseller, slow death by rubber duck. Bruce lourie and rick smith, two of north americas environmental leaders, have been asked this question on an almost daily basis since the publication of their runaway international bestseller, slow death by rubber duck. As a new mother, i am hyperconcerned about the things my kids. Many books along this vein, i find, force me to go elsewhere to educate myself to understand the contents. Slow death by rubber duck, by rick smith and bruce.
My coauthor bruce lourie and i set out to draw back the curtain on this strange world of toxic chemicals in unlikely places in our new book slow death by rubber duck. In toxin toxout, lourie and smith give practical and often surprising advice for removing toxic chemicals from our bodies and homes. Table of contents foreword by theo colborn, coauthor of our stolen future acknowledgments introduction one. Provocative and groundbreaking, slow death by rubber duck reveals how the living of daily life creates a toxic soup inside each of us. Death by rubber duck 2009, an environmental book that seemed to. Slow death by rubber duck, by rick smith and bruce lourie the. Sep 17, 2017 then baby can breathe in toxic chemicals in the air or absorb toxic chemicals through skin contact. How the toxic chemistry of everyday life affects our health by rick smith funny, thoughtprovoking, and incredibly disturbing, slow death by rubber duck reveals that just the living of daily life creates a chemical soup inside each of us.
I was impressed by the books easy to understand presentation, thorough histories of chemicals discussed and practical suggestions for simple changes. The health hazards of artificial turf crumb rubber. Slow death by rubber duck toxin pollution ten years ago, smith and coauthor bruce lourie set out to write a book about the insidious, invisible toxic chemicals found in the products consumers handle every day, from shampoo and shaving cream to nonstick frying pans. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
How the toxic chemistry of everyday life affects our health has 2 available editions to buy at half price books marketplace. Maria rodales organic manifesto rodale, 2010 and slow death by rubber duck counterpoint press, 2010 by rick smith and bruce lourie. Toxic chemicals can be found not only in the environment that surrounds and sustains us, but inside each one of us. Thats why we partnered with rick smith and bruce lourie, the coauthors of the bestselling book slow death by rubber duck, to find out what happens to the levels of bpa and bps in our body after handling receipts. In just about every room he came across phthalates, which is a chemical usually used in flame retardants, but also one smith found in his kids pajamas, shampoos, soaps and even their rubber duck. These softening agents can make up to 2050% of the plastic in toys your child loves to mouth. Of those roughly 82,000, only 650 are monitored through tri epas toxic release inventory, only 200 have ever been tested for toxicity, and only five have been banned under the toxic substances control act, says bruce lourie. To illustrate the ease with which these pollutants accumulate in the human body we experimented on ourselves, attempting to raise and lower levels of seven toxic chemicals bpa. Getting harmful chemicals out of our bodies and our world 20, knopf canada in canada. From other products and food we also have a collection of chemicals shorthanded as pfcs, pfoas.
It was displayed as part of an event put on by the ecology center to draw peoples attention to the dangers of toxic chemicals in plastics. Jun 19, 2017 the authors use a variety of methods to test individual body burdens of toxic chemicals. The truth of the matter is that toxic chemicals are now found at low levels in countless applications, in everything from personal care products and cooking pots and pans to electronics, furniture, clothing, building materials and childrens toys. But despite chicken soups winning formula 112 million books sold in 15 years. Specifically, we wanted to know what kind of exposure occurs after handling receipts for as long as a cashier typically handles. From the book slow death by rubber duck the authors dr. Apr 06, 2010 another good book about environmental toxins is the hundredyear lie i enjoyed both, but found slow death by rubber duck far more entertaining and more useful in terms of mitigating the impact of these chemicals in our daily lives. The authors conducted experiments by exposing themselves to a range of toxic substances including mercury, phthalates, nonstick cookware, fire retardants and bpa. After reading these two sobering works, which, respectively, investigate chemical agriculture versus organic farming and the toxic household chemicals lurking in our home. The discharge of this wastewater to the environment without proper treatment. He is president of ivey foundation, a private charitable foundation, a. And here is a 25ft rubber duck on show in ann arbor last week. How the toxic chemistry of everyday life affects our health kindle edition by smith, rick, lourie, bruce. How the toxic chemistry of everyday life affects our health 2009 by rick smith and bruce lourie offers a downtoearth and often amusing look at how everyday living creates a chemical soup inside each of us and what we can do to minimize our exposures.
They sat in a new car for six hours to measure levels of volatile organic compounds, such as benzene. Jan 01, 2009 funny, thoughtprovoking, and incredibly disturbing, slow death by rubber duck reveals that just the living of daily life creates a chemical soup inside each of us. Slow death by rubber duck fully expanded and updated rick. Flameretardant chemicals from electronics and household dust polluting our blood. Slow death by rubber duck fully expanded and updated. The book titled slow death by rubber duck is authored by rick smith and bruce lourie. There are over 80,000 synthetic chemicals in commerce today, and the authors use their outrageous experiments they and their brave volunteers are the guinea pigs to prove how easily our bodies absorb these. Slow death by rubber duck and millions of other books are available for. With bruce lourie, he coauthored slow death by rubber duck, a bestseller in. The drugmaking plant of pharma major jubilant life sciences at nanjangud near here has been shut down after it was suspected to have been infected by coronavirus from a container that came from china with raw materials, an official said on tuesday. Rubber duck toys are greatunless theyre the kind that are loaded with chemicals called phthalates. How the toxic chemistry of everyday life affects our health by rick smith.
The ultimate list of nontoxic living books to kickstart your. Smith and lourie bring this point home by demonstratingwith a dozen or so offtheshelf products and a few days spent holed up in an apartmentthe role that consumer products play in determining our body burdens of toxic substances such as phthalates, bisphenola. From other products and food we also have a collection of chemicals shorthanded as pfcs, pfoas, psoss, and pcbs. The topic chosen by the authors for the text basically tells the reader what the book is all about. Two lab rat authors have been shocking readers with their book on the effects of everyday chemicals, writes liza power. Slow death by rubber duck how the toxic chemistry of. They may cause cancer, kidney damage, reproductive disorders and affect childrens later. The trouble is, these chemicals are unhealthy to ingest and dont stay in the toys plastic.
Health implications of nonfoods the uncommon guides. As the story goes, the duo behind the chicken soup for the soul empire couldnt find a publisher when they assembled their first book. How the toxicity of everyday life affects our health is the landmark book about the toxicity of everyday life and is now. Pollution is no longer just about belching smokestacks and ugly sewer pipes now, its personal. Slow death by rubber duck book sheds light on everyday.
The rubber duck as a symbol of the fight against toxic. They describe, for instance, how the innocuous rubber duck is infused with poisonous phthalates as well as common toxins in everything from teflon to nonflammable pajamas. The book reminds us that what we do to earth we do to ourselves. Purposefully conflating harmless chemicals with toxic ones is just one. Thailand and indonesia are two of the leading rubber producers. Mar 14, 2019 the new 10th anniversary edition of the book slow death by rubber duck examines health impacts and calls for stronger regulations against toxic chemicals in canada and around the world. A rubber duck is also on the front cover of the excellent book, slow death by rubber duck. Slow death by rubber duck how the toxic chemistry of everyday.
Slow death by rubber duck has one non chemical ingredient that. The authors, rick smith and bruce lourie, expose many pollutants that we absorb from what we eat, bathe in, apply to our skin, and touch. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading slow death by rubber duck. The chemicals that build up in our body when carpets and upholstery offgas. The ultimate list of nontoxic living books to kickstart. Slow death by rubber duck, how the toxic chemistry of everyday life affects our health. There are 82,000 chemicals in use in the united states with 700 new ones added each year.
Shop amongst our popular books, including 4, slow death by rubber duck fully. In this book youll discover how chemicals found in products that you use every day can leach into your body and make you very sick. Bath toys made from 100% natural rubber are non toxic. While researching their new book, slow death by rubber duck. Apr 05, 2010 although obviously troubling, slow death by rubber duck offers hope with ideas for protecting you and your family. How the toxic chemistry of everyday life affects our health. Rick smith rick smith is a prominent canadian author and environmentalist and executive director of environmental defence canada since 2003.
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