Pollution is no longer just about belching smokestacks and ugly sewer pipes—now, it’s personal. The most dangerous pollution, it turns out, comes from commonplace items in our homes and workplaces. To prove this point, for one week authors Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie ingested and inhaled a host of things that surround all of us. Using their own bodies as the reference point to tell the story of pollution in our modern world, they expose the miscreant corporate giants who manufacture the toxins, the weak-kneed government officials who let it happen, and the effects on people and families across the globe. This book—the testimony of their experience—exposes the extent to which we are poisoned every day of our lives, from the simple household dust that is polluting our blood to the toxins in our urine that are created by run-of-the-mill shampoos and toothpaste. Ultimately hopeful, the book empowers readers with some simple ideas for protecting themselves and their families, and changing things for the better.
Slow Death by Rubber Duck
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
*Starred Review* This is one scary book. Using a variety of test methods, the authors determined individual “body burdens,” or the toxic chemical load we carry. The innocuous rubber duck, for example, offers a poison soup of phthalates that “permeate the environment and humans.” From other products and food, we also have a collection of chemicals shorthanded as PFCs, PFOAs, PSOSs, and PCBs. None of them are good, and they are everywhere, thanks to Teflon (which drew the largest administrative penalty against a company ever obtained by the EPA), Stainmaster, nonflammable pajamas, tuna (hello, mercury), and, would you believe, antibacterial products. The legacy of our chemically addicted society is not just all around us but also inside us, and it is killing us, as the Teflon case proved. (Workers in West Virginia believed that “having a high-paying job often meant getting sick,” and many were reluctant to sue and possibly scare DuPont away.) Poised between chirpy green-living manuals and dense academic papers, Smith and Bruce Lourie have crafted a true guide for the thinking consumer. If readers don’t change their ways after reading this one, then they never will. --Colleen Mondor
Review
Praise for Slow Death by Rubber Duck
“Beware the smiling creature in your bathtub: it’s yellow, it squeaks, your kids love it, and it gets into your bloodstream—literally.” —High Country News
“Enviro-porn.” —Forbes.com
“Undertaking a cheeky experiment in self-contamination, professional Canadian environmentalists Smith and Lourie expose themselves to hazardous everyday substances, then measure the consequences . . . Throughout, the duo weave scientific data and recent political history into an amusing but unnerving narrative, refusing to sugarcoat any of the data (though protection is possible, exposure is inevitable) while maintaining a welcome sense of humor.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Slow Death by Rubber Duck’s real achievement is in documenting how chemical giants stay a step ahead of regulators, and those revelations make the book a fascinating and frightening read.” —The Week
“Slow Death by Rubber Duck . . . isn’t just alarmist environmental shock and awe. It’s a thoughtful look at how pollution has shifted over the years from something tangible and transparent (industrial pollutants as the cause of acid rain) to something abstract and nuanced (BPA’s links to breast cancer). The challenges this change presents, as many of the world’s top scientists explain in these pages, should be of serious concern to us all.” —O: The Oprah Magazine
“Slow Death by Rubber Duck is hard-hitting in a way that turns your stomach and yet also instills hope for a future in which consumers make safer, more informed choices and push their governments to impose tougher regulations on the chemicals all around us.” —The Washington Post
“This is one scary book. Using a variety of test methods, the authors determined individual ‘body burdens,’ or the toxic chemical load we carry. The innocuous rubber duck, for example, offers a poison soup of phthalates that ‘permeate the environment and humans.’ From other products and food we also have a collection of chemicals shorthanded as PFCs, PFOAs, PSOSs, and PCBs. None of them are good, and they are everywhere, thanks to Teflon (which drew the largest administrative penalty against a company ever obtained by the EPA), Stainmaster, nonflammable pajamas, tuna (hello, mercury), and, would you believe, anti-bacterial products. The legacy of our chemically addicted society is not just all around us but also inside us and it is killing us, as the Teflon case proved. (Workers in West Virginia believed that ‘having a high-paying job often meant getting sick,’ and many were reluctant to sue and possibly scare DuPont away.) Poised between chirpy green-living manuals and dense academic papers, Smith and Lourie have crafted a true guide for the thinking consumer. If readers don’t change their ways after reading this one, then they never will.” —Colleen Mondor, Booklist
“Fantastically important—an indispensable guide to surviving in an industrial age.” —Tim Flannery, author of Now or Never and The Weather Makers
“One of the most disturbing facts I’ve heard in the last few years is the new scientific evidence showing that Arctic people who rely on traditional diets—fish and marine mammals—are experiencing a world without baby boys. Well, not quite—but twice as many girls are being born, because male fetuses are weaker (you women knew this!), and baby boys cannot survive the level of PCBs, mercury and other toxins that find their final home in the Arctic. Slow Death by Rubber Duck tells the other end of this story—how ordinary household products we consume here in the U.S. are the font of this toxic rain that falls on the Arctic—but that while the Arctic is the most distant victim of these poisons, we ourselves are the first.” —Carl Pope, executive director, Sierra Club
“This book is a powerful reminder that what we do to Mother Earth, we do to ourselves. Read it to see why we have to change the way we live and get off our destructive path.” —David Suzuki, environmental activist and host of The Nature of Things
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
“Beware the smiling creature in your bathtub: it’s yellow, it squeaks, your kids love it, and it gets into your bloodstream—literally.” —High Country News
“Enviro-porn.” —Forbes.com
“Undertaking a cheeky experiment in self-contamination, professional Canadian environmentalists Smith and Lourie expose themselves to hazardous everyday substances, then measure the consequences . . . Throughout, the duo weave scientific data and recent political history into an amusing but unnerving narrative, refusing to sugarcoat any of the data (though protection is possible, exposure is inevitable) while maintaining a welcome sense of humor.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Slow Death by Rubber Duck’s real achievement is in documenting how chemical giants stay a step ahead of regulators, and those revelations make the book a fascinating and frightening read.” —The Week
“Slow Death by Rubber Duck . . . isn’t just alarmist environmental shock and awe. It’s a thoughtful look at how pollution has shifted over the years from something tangible and transparent (industrial pollutants as the cause of acid rain) to something abstract and nuanced (BPA’s links to breast cancer). The challenges this change presents, as many of the world’s top scientists explain in these pages, should be of serious concern to us all.” —O: The Oprah Magazine
“Slow Death by Rubber Duck is hard-hitting in a way that turns your stomach and yet also instills hope for a future in which consumers make safer, more informed choices and push their governments to impose tougher regulations on the chemicals all around us.” —The Washington Post
“This is one scary book. Using a variety of test methods, the authors determined individual ‘body burdens,’ or the toxic chemical load we carry. The innocuous rubber duck, for example, offers a poison soup of phthalates that ‘permeate the environment and humans.’ From other products and food we also have a collection of chemicals shorthanded as PFCs, PFOAs, PSOSs, and PCBs. None of them are good, and they are everywhere, thanks to Teflon (which drew the largest administrative penalty against a company ever obtained by the EPA), Stainmaster, nonflammable pajamas, tuna (hello, mercury), and, would you believe, anti-bacterial products. The legacy of our chemically addicted society is not just all around us but also inside us and it is killing us, as the Teflon case proved. (Workers in West Virginia believed that ‘having a high-paying job often meant getting sick,’ and many were reluctant to sue and possibly scare DuPont away.) Poised between chirpy green-living manuals and dense academic papers, Smith and Lourie have crafted a true guide for the thinking consumer. If readers don’t change their ways after reading this one, then they never will.” —Colleen Mondor, Booklist
“Fantastically important—an indispensable guide to surviving in an industrial age.” —Tim Flannery, author of Now or Never and The Weather Makers
“One of the most disturbing facts I’ve heard in the last few years is the new scientific evidence showing that Arctic people who rely on traditional diets—fish and marine mammals—are experiencing a world without baby boys. Well, not quite—but twice as many girls are being born, because male fetuses are weaker (you women knew this!), and baby boys cannot survive the level of PCBs, mercury and other toxins that find their final home in the Arctic. Slow Death by Rubber Duck tells the other end of this story—how ordinary household products we consume here in the U.S. are the font of this toxic rain that falls on the Arctic—but that while the Arctic is the most distant victim of these poisons, we ourselves are the first.” —Carl Pope, executive director, Sierra Club
“This book is a powerful reminder that what we do to Mother Earth, we do to ourselves. Read it to see why we have to change the way we live and get off our destructive path.” —David Suzuki, environmental activist and host of The Nature of Things
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
72 of 73 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Toxins are a common and widespread problem that is even more inconvenient and has even more personal impact than global warming. The topic leaves most people feeling a mix of overwhelm, anger and hopelessness. But as you may have guessed from the title, "Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things" takes a different approach.
What started out as a funny joke and dare between friends actually became an amazing project that will empower consumers. Two Canadian environmentalists exposed themselves to everyday products and watched the toxin levels in their body's skyrocket. Sadly, this experiment is something most of us do unknowingly every day. The authors show how our everyday exposures and product choices impact our toxin levels and health risks. Although I am still shocked by how common the toxins are, I was very encouraged to learn that many of them will leave the body in just a few days after reducing the exposure.
Despite the light title, this book is packed with intelligence insights, is backed by research and is fascinating to read. It will help you take actions that will measurably reduce your exposure to harmful toxins. Congratulations to the authors for turning this heavy topic around and pointing to a more positive and hopeful approach that is within our control.
What started out as a funny joke and dare between friends actually became an amazing project that will empower consumers. Two Canadian environmentalists exposed themselves to everyday products and watched the toxin levels in their body's skyrocket. Sadly, this experiment is something most of us do unknowingly every day. The authors show how our everyday exposures and product choices impact our toxin levels and health risks. Although I am still shocked by how common the toxins are, I was very encouraged to learn that many of them will leave the body in just a few days after reducing the exposure.
Despite the light title, this book is packed with intelligence insights, is backed by research and is fascinating to read. It will help you take actions that will measurably reduce your exposure to harmful toxins. Congratulations to the authors for turning this heavy topic around and pointing to a more positive and hopeful approach that is within our control.
84 of 91 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I always considered myself to be rather savvy when it comes to where I come into contact with carcinogens on a daily basis. I have known about phthalates and BPA and fire-retardants now for many years, but I had no idea the extent to which the chemical companies have infused their questionable chemicals into every crevice of our daily lives. It is shocking and appalling and completely reckless. The only way we can turn this tide around is to arm ourselves with knowledge and demand change. Read this book! If you're not angry after reading it, you weren't paying attention!
47 of 50 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The personal touch that Lourie and Smith employ in explaining just how prevalent chemicals are in our everyday lives, and more important, HOW to reduce our exposure to those chemicals by choosing products in an informed way make this book both readable and useful. Every parent and child care provider should read it to see how to reduce the exposure of our vulnerable young. It does leave you wondering why so many toxins are allowed to be used in our food, cleaners, clothes, and furniture.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A real eye opener of the toxins around us - informative so you can...
This is written as a text book a serious read for a quite serious subject
A book you will use as a reference to help decrease the toxions in your enviorment
A book you will use as a reference to help decrease the toxions in your enviorment
Published 24 days ago by Celeste Cattie
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very important book
This book explains how things got so out of hand -- tens of thousands of new synthetic chemicals are now an intrinsic part of all our lives, none of them having been tested for... Read more
Published 28 days ago by Barbara J.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Chemical dangers
I am still working my way through this book. It is a lot to 'absorb' just reading through it quickly. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Joan Gillis
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a Scary Subject - Everyone should read this book
As soon as you start probing what is actually in normal everyday products you get more and more concerned about using them. Everyone should read this book.
Published 2 months ago by Nathan Ward Author
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Roundup of Hazards Real and Potential
"Where are the bodies?" one critic asks. Another doesn't care about what happens in mice, polar bears, or anything but people, supposedly, as if our size, mass, and minds make us... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Chris N
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very insightful book about the chemical make up of today's world
Never in the history of man has there been so many toxins surrounding us from a day to day basis. Every human on the planet, no matter what type of life they lead, has toxins and... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Max Ley
4.0 out of 5 stars
If you have kids...
If you have kids, DON'T READ THIS BOOK.
Instead, take these said kids and get rid of them. Read more
Instead, take these said kids and get rid of them. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Peter Filak
5.0 out of 5 stars
Informative book
Although the title may be a bit of hyperbole, the author's concerns about the health effects of many chemicals found in consumer products are well supported. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Linda Meyer
2.0 out of 5 stars
Don't waste your time!
The authors of this book are well-meaning and want to do good via it's publication. However, it is poorly written and very poorly put together. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Michael W Wathen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Informative and shocking evidence in our toxic environment.
Since I developed breast cancer and there is no cancer in my family history, this book helped to explain how my environment caused my condition from all the usual daily products I... Read more
Published 13 months ago by CC
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