The Consumer's Good Chemical Guide: A Jargon-Free Guide to the Chemicals of Everyday Life [Hardcover]

John Emsley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1994

How many top-selling perfumes are made entirely from synthetic chemicals? Are artificial sweeteners perfectly safe? Which has more saturated fat: butter or coconut oil? How many people have died by being poisoned with the world's most toxic chemicals, the dioxins? Does PVC packaging and plastic wrap cause cancer by contaminating food? Is nitrate from fertilizers polluting drinking water and causing "blue-baby syndrome" and stomach cancer? Is carbon dioxide from fossil fuels really the main cause of global warming? The unexpected answers to these and many other topical questions can be found in "The Consumer's Good Chemical Guide", which exposes the misinformation and misinformation that surround many of the controversial chemicals we meet in daily life. The guide explains in accessible, non-technical language the science behind sugar and artificial sweeteners; cholesterol, animal fats and fibre; painkillers, and the risks associated with taking drugs; plastics and PVC; dioxins and nitrates in the environment; and carbon dioxide and the greenhouse gases. Also included are chapters on two products which are entirely chemical, but commonly not thought of as such: perfume and alcohol. Here, the reader discovers that not only do fragrance chemicals give a great deal of innocent pleasure, but that their synthetic versions have been responsible for reducing the large-scale slaughter of some wild animals; and that alcohol can not only improve the quality of life, it may even prolong it. "The Consumer's Good Chemical Guide" is for anyone, with or without a scientific background, who has been worried, sometimes alarmed, by stories which suggest that these chemicals are dangerous, polluting or unhealthy. This book won the general section of the Rhone-Poulenc Prize for Science in 1995.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 360 pages
• Publisher: W H Freeman & Co (Sd) (November 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0716745054
• ISBN-13: 978-0716745051
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,372,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This ought to be required reading!, July 14, 2002

By 

J. Gittins "chemistry student" (Pinconning ,MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Consumer's Good Chemical Guide: A Jargon-Free Guide to the Chemicals of Everyday Life (Hardcover)

It is definetely too bad that this book is not still in print for the public to buy! I'm 18 years old and love science, but you don't really have to be a science whiz to understand it.
What I believe is so great about this book is that it exposes the fallacies in the beliefs people have about certain chemicals, from sugar (and artifical sweeteners), cholesterol, fats, and fiber, painkillers (and other medications), PVC, dioxins, and carbon dioxide (global warming). People are misinformed by the media and even medical sources as to the dangers of these things, when many of these things are actually good for us!
This book was written from a logical viewpoint. John Emsley, who is a great author, discusses both sides of a topic, and really just makes the book interesting.
I believe it should be required reading in high school because then so many kids would be exposed to the fallacies that the media puts out about everything from sugar (It's not bad!) to body health. We as Americans believe so many things blindly without realizing the actual scientific proof. This books is great!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT, November 23, 2002

By 

Anibal Lopes (RALEIGH, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Consumer's Good Chemical Guide: A Jargon-Free Guide to the Chemicals of Everyday Life (Hardcover)

This was a very clearly written and insightful book. It was well researched and presented in an appealing format in layman's terms. He described the essence of flavors,perfumes, and other good chemicals. The best book on the importance of chemistry in everyday life that I've read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of useful information!, November 28, 2009

By 

Charles Evans "Call me Kevin" (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Consumer's Good Chemical Guide: A Jargon-Free Guide to the Chemicals of Everyday Life (Hardcover)

John Emsley has written a series of interesting books on how chemistry interacts with our everyday lives such as Nature's Building Blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements, Molecules of Murder: Criminal Molecules and Classic Cases. "The Consumer's Good Chemical Guide" is well written and provides straight talk on how consumer chemistry. Not interested? Consider

- How do pain killers work? Why are some better than others?

- What is the history of artificial sweeteners? Is Aspartame actually dangerous?

- What causes perfumes to smell?

- How can chemistry help you devise a fool-proof diet?

- What is the difference between the different types of fats? How are they different once they enter your body?

A small sampling of the topics, but it really does not do the book justice. Remember each topic is being describing by a top-notch researcher, and real references are provided. My final verdict - highly recommended for anyone who has an interest in chemistry.

5 Stars