When Smoke Ran like Water: Tales of Environmental Deception and the Battle against Pollution
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The National Book Award Finalist from a leading public-health expert, this is the unknown story of how environmental pollution has affected our health-past, present, and future Publishers Weekly Davis, one of the world's leading epidemiologists and researchers on environmentally linked illness, writes about her lifelong battle against environmental pollution in strong prose, underlined with some horrifying stories. With a special emphasis on air pollution and its long-term effects, Davis anecdotally talks about some of the most infamous smogs and fogs of all time, including the Donora Fog (October 26, 1948) that left a small zinc-factory town in Pennsylvania blanketed in a thick, toxic fog for over a week. "Within days, nearly half the town would fall ill" and within one 24-hour period 18 people had died. She argues that these incidents are underreported because the industries responsible for the pollutants are often powerful corporations or the major employer in these small towns. Research into the long-term effects of pollution, such as breast and testicular cancer, reveals that people in the Northeast (including Long Island and Connecticut) and in California have a higher incidence of serious illnesses. Most importantly, Davis brings to the fore the long-lasting effects of growing up and living in a polluted atmosphere, clearly demonstrating that "people living in areas with the dirtiest air had the highest risk of dying." She sounds the warning bell loud and clear: the threat to public health is real. This is an enlightening, engrossing read (with an intro by Gaynor, a leading oncologist at the Weill-Cornell Medical College in New York City), which should be on the shelf of anyone who cares about the environment and wants to learn more about policy, health and politics; Davis weaves all of these together with grace. (Nov.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
ForewordixPrefacexiPart 1Ancient History11Where I Come From52The Phantom Epidemic313How to Become a Statistic554How the Game Is Played89Part 2The Best of Intentions1235Zones of Incomprehension1256The New Sisterhood of Breast Cancer1597Save the Males193Part 3The View from Outside2238Earthquakes and Spouting Bowls2259A Grand Experiment24710Defiant Figures273Acknowledgments283Notes287Index305
