Pick Your Poison: How Our Mad Dash to Chemical Utopia is Making Lab Rats of Us All
Did you know that "nontoxic" usually means "never tested"? Or that many green cleaners are good for the environment but terrible for you? Are your air purifiers, counter cleaners, baby powders, and low-VOC paints doing more harm than good? Could the chemical stew we expose ourselves and our children to every day be causing the recent explosion of autism, diabetes, cancer, and other disorders?In Pick Your Poison, chemist and activist Monona Rossol goes from under your sink to the halls of the powerful, tracing America's love affair with chemicals that kill, explaining how much worse the problem has gotten in the last decade. How bad is it? The terrible truth is that no one really knows, and neither thegovernment nor corporations seem eager to find out.Shocking and appalling and completely reckless—that's how Rossol describes the current prevalence of harmful chemicals in our everyday lives. Scientists have started linking our increased rates for cancer,autism, obesity, and asthma (among others) to chemical exposure and Rossol points the finger directly at the companies and executives making millions of dollars by polluting our environment and introducing toxic chemicals into our bodies.Pick Your Poison chronicles how everyday toxins get into our bodies and accumulate over time and provides us with inspiration to make changes at the checkout lines. Rossol also explains that Americans are not nearly as well protected by our government as we might think we are. Unlike the European Union, the United States allows chemical companies toproduce toxins for use in U.S. consumer productswith little to no oversight. While Rossol's tone is wry and entertaining, her fact-filled treatise makes for absolutely terrifying reading. Pick Your Poison:Includes surprising explanations about the chemicals in furniture, detergents, paints, makeup, toys, spray cleaners, ionic airpurifiers, art supplies, and moreReveals how many eco-friendly products are good for the environment but bad for your healthExposes the truth about government regulations, product testing, and labeling, including why terms such as "nontoxic,"  "hypoallergenic," and "FDA-approved" can be misleadingOffers practical ways to reduce your exposure and protect yourself and your familyIf you're alarmed by the health risks of the many hazardous chemicals we encounter at home, work, and school, don't get frightened, get informed. Read Pick Your Poison to learn the facts and find out what you can do about the daily onslaught of toxins that are making lab rats of us all.