How to Use This Book ........................................... ix
Ten Effective Ways to Reduce Toxics in Your Environment ......... x
Preface ........................................................ xi
Acknowledgments xv Cross-References to Entries by Exposure .... xvi
PART ONE
ALL ABOUT TOXICS ................................................ l
FUNDAMENTALS .................................................... 3
1. Toxics in Perspective ........................................ 5
A. Thinking about Risk ....................................... 5
B. Causes of Death and Disease ............................... 8
2. The Language of Toxics ...................................... 15
A. How Risk Is Described .................................... 15
B. Units Used to Describe Toxics ............................ 18
SOME BASIC MEDICAL ASPECTS OF THE TOXICS PROBLEM ............... 25
3. Testing and Classification of Toxics ........................ 27
A. Testing Toxics ........................................... 27
B. Classification of Toxics ................................. 31
4. Toxics in the Body .......................................... 34
A. Entry, Dose, and Exit: How Chemicals Harm the Body ....... 34
B. Sensitive Groups ......................................... 40
C. Nutrition and Susceptibility to Toxics ................... 42
THE FOUR MAJOR SOURCES OF TOXIC EXPOSURE ....................... 45
5. Toxics in Air ............................................... 47
A. Air Pollution and Health ................................. 47
B. Smoking and Health ....................................... 50
C. Indoor Air Pollution ..................................... 51
6. Toxics in Water ............................................. 55
A. Drinking Water and Health ................................ 55
B. The Threat from Below: Toxics in Groundwater ............. 58
7. Toxics in Food .............................................. 61
A. Food Additives and Health ................................ 61
B. Why Alcohol and Other Chemicals Don't Mix ................ 63
C. Food and Cancer: How Much Is Nature to Blame? ............ 64
8. Toxics in Consumer Products ................................. 67
A. Inert Ingredients ........................................ 67
B. Hobbies and Crafts ....................................... 68
C. Some Product Comparisons ................................. 69
TOXICS AND THE ENVIRONMENT ..................................... 75
9. Movement of Toxics through the Environment .................. 77
A. Air ...................................................... 77
B. Water .................................................... 81
С. Soil ..................................................... 83
10.Toxics in the Biosphere ..................................... 86
A. How Toxic Concentrations Build Up in Animals ............. 86
B. Ecological Effects of Toxics ............................. 88
11.Three Global Environmental Hazards of Pollutants ............ 91
A. The Greenhouse Effect .................................... 91
B. Stratospheric Ozone Depletion ............................ 94
С. Acid Rain ................................................ 96
FOUR SPECIAL GROUPS OF TOXICS ................................. 101
12.Toxic Metals ............................................... 103
A. Significance and Sources of Toxic Metals ................ 103
B. Human Health Effects .................................... 104
13.Petrochemicals ............................................. 106
A. Sources and Products .................................... 106
B. Solvents ................................................ 108
14.Pesticides ................................................. 112
A. Overview ................................................ 112
B. Classification and Patterns of Use ...................... 115
C. Human Health Concerns ................................... 120
D. Environmental and Economic Constraints .................. 126
E. Cotton: A Case Study .................................... 131
F. Alternatives to Conventional Pest Control .............. 132
15.Radiation .................................................. 141
A. The Nature of Radioactivity ............................. 141
B. The Electromagnetic Spectrum ............................ 143
С. How Radiation Affects Us ................................ 144
D. Nuclear Fission and Nuclear Fusion ...................... 145
E. Units Used to Describe Radiation ........................ 146
F. Background Exposure and Radiation Standards ............. 149
G. Estimating the Risk of Radiation ........................ 150
H. Food Irradiation ........................................ 151
I. Nuclear War ............................................. 153
MANAGING TOXICS ............................................... 155
16.The Waste Crisis: Sources and Solutions .................... 157
A. Overview of the Waste Crisis ............................ 157
B. Waste Disposal .......................................... 159
C. Waste Processing ........................................ 164
D. Recycling and Other Approaches to Source Reduction ...... 166
17.Regulating Toxics .......................................... 171
A. The Regulations: An Overview ............................ 171
B. Protection of Air Quality ............................... 175
С. Protection of Water Quality ............................. 177
D. Public Health and Safety ................................ 179
E. Waste Management ........................................ 184
F. Additional Laws Recently Passed or Under
Consideration ........................................... 187
G. The Right to Know about Toxics .......................... 188
PART TWO.
A. GUIDE TO COMMONLY ENCOUNTERED TOXICS ....................... 195
acetic acid ................................................ 197
acetone .................................................... 198
acrolein ................................................... 200
anatoxins .................................................. 201
alachlor ................................................... 203
aldicarb ................................................... 205
aldrin and dieldrin ........................................ 207
aluminum ................................................... 210
ammonia .................................................... 214
arsenic .................................................... 217
asbestos ................................................... 222
aspartame .................................................. 225
asphalt .................................................... 226
azinophos-methyl ........................................... 227
barium ..................................................... 229
benomyl .................................................... 231
benzene .................................................... 233
benzo[α]pyrene (В[π]Р) ..................................... 236
beryllium .................................................. 238
BHT and BHA ................................................ 241
bis(chloromethyl)ether ..................................... 243
cadmium .................................................... 244
caffeine ................................................... 248
captan, captafol, and folpet ............................... 250
carbaryl ................................................... 253
carbon black ............................................... 255
carbon monoxide ............................................ 257
carbon tetrachloride ....................................... 260
carrageenan ................................................ 262
cesium-137 ................................................. 263
CFCs ....................................................... 265
chlordane .................................................. 268
chlorine, hydrogen chloride, hydrochloric acid, and
hypochlorite ............................................ 270
chloroform ................................................. 273
chromium ................................................... 276
creosote ................................................... 279
2,4-D ...................................................... 281
daminozide ................................................. 283
DDT ........................................................ 286
diazinon ................................................... 289
dicamba .................................................... 290
dichlorvos ................................................. 292
dioxane .................................................... 294
dioxin ..................................................... 296
Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate .................................. 298
EBDCs: mancozeb, maneb, metiram, and zineb ................. 300
ethylene dibromide (EDB) and ethylene dichloride (EDC) ..... 303
ethylene glycol ............................................ 306
ethylene oxide ............................................. 308
extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields ............. 310
fluoride ................................................... 313
food colors ................................................ 316
formaldehyde ............................................... 318
fosetyl Al ................................................. 322
glyphosate ................................................. 323
heptachlor ................................................. 325
hydroquinone ............................................... 327
iodine-131 ................................................. 329
laser light ................................................ 331
lead ....................................................... 333
lindane .................................................... 336
malathion .................................................. 339
mercury .................................................... 341
methyl ethyl ketone ........................................ 344
methylene chloride ......................................... 346
microwave and radio frequency radiation .................... 348
mineral fibers (nonasbestos) ............................... 350
monosodium glutamate (MSG) ................................. 351
naphthalene ................................................ 353
nickel ..................................................... 354
nicotine ................................................... 358
nitrates, nitrites, and nitrosamines ....................... 359
nitrogen oxides ............................................ 365
noise ...................................................... 368
oxalic acid ................................................ 370
ozone and other photochemical oxidants ..................... 372
paraquat ................................................... 375
parathion and methyl-parathion ............................. 376
particulate matter ......................................... 379
PCBs and PBBs .............................................. 382
plutonium .................................................. 386
pyrethroids (pyrethrum and permethrin) ..................... 388
radon ...................................................... 391
saccharin .................................................. 394
selenium ................................................... 395
sodium hydroxide ........................................... 398
strontium-90 ............................................... 401
styrene .................................................... 403
sulfites ................................................... 405
sulfur dioxide and sulfates ................................ 407
2,4,5-T .................................................... 411
tetrachloroethylene ........................................ 413
toluene .................................................... 415
trichloroethane ............................................ 418
trichloroethylene .......................................... 420
TRIS ....................................................... 422
tritium .................................................... 424
ultrasound ................................................. 426
ultraviolet radiation ...................................... 428
vinyl chloride ............................................. 430
vinylidene chloride ........................................ 432
warfarin ................................................... 433
xylene ..................................................... 435
zinc ....................................................... 436
Glossary ...................................................... 439
Commonly Used Abbreviations for Units ......................... 449
Abbreviations for Environmental Laws and Institutions ......... 450
Annotated Suggested Readings .................................. 451
Sources for Home Testing Equipment ............................ 453
National Hotlines ............................................. 455
Index ......................................................... 457
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