Green intelligence : creating environments that protect human health / John Wargo.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wargo, John, 1950-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Environmental quality.

Environmental degradation.

Environmental policy.

Nuclear accidents--Environmental aspects.

Nuclear accidents.

Air--Pollution.

Air.

Water--Pollution.

Water.

Pesticides--Environmental aspects.

Pesticides.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (400 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Haven, CT ; London : Yale University Press, c2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

We live in a world awash in manmade chemicals, from the pesticides on our front lawns to the diesel exhaust in the air we breathe. Although experts are beginning to understand the potential dangers of these substances, there are still more than 80,000 synthetic compounds that have not been sufficiently tested to interpret their effects on human health. Yale University professor John Wargo has spent much of his career researching the impact of chemical exposures on women and children. In this book, he explains the origins of society's profound misunderstanding of everyday chemical hazards and offers a practical path toward developing greater "green intelligence."Despite the rising trend in environmental awareness, information about synthetic substances is often unavailable, distorted, kept secret, or presented in a way that prevents citizens from acting to reduce threats to their health and the environment. By examining the histories of five hazardous technologies and practices, Wargo finds remarkable patterns in the delayed discovery of dangers and explains the governments' failures to manage them effectively. Sobering yet eminently readable, Wargo's book ultimately offers a clear vision for a safer future through prevention, transparency, and awareness.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

List of Figures

Prologue: Beyond Control

1. Perfecting the Art of Terror

2. The Strontium-90 Odyssey

3. Experiments on Humans

4. Nuclear Accidents

5. Sowing Seeds of Protest

6. Ravaging Landscapes and Seacoasts

7. Mercury

8. Wasteland or Wilderness?

9. Capitalizing on Innocence

10. Without Warning

11. The DDT Dilemma

12. What Is Acceptable Risk?

13. Airborne Menace

14. Who Is Most at Risk?

15. The Trouble with Diesel

Part 5. Lessons Learned and Emerging Threats

16. Forgotten Lessons

17. The Quiet Revolution in Plastics

18. Green Intelligence

Epilogue: Taking Personal Control

Acknowledgments

Notes

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-282-35293-8

9786612352935

0-300-15638-3

OCLC:

635947411