The Polluters The Making of Our Chemically Altered Environment

by Ross, Benjamin; Amter, Steven

• ISBN13: 9780199739950
• ISBN10: 0199739951
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-09-01
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The chemical pollution that irrevocably damages today's environment is, although many would like us to believe otherwise, the legacy of conscious choices made long ago. During the years before and just after World War II, discoveries like leaded gasoline and DDT came to market, creating new hazards even as the expansion and mechanization of industry exacerbated old ones. Dangers still felt today--smog, pesticides, lead, chromium, chlorinated solvents, asbestos, even global warming--were already recognized by chemists, engineers, doctors, and business managers of that era. A few courageous individuals spoke out without compromise, but still more ignored scientific truth in pursuit of money and prestige. The Polluters reveals at last the crucial decisions that allowed environmental issues to be trumped by political agendas. It spotlights the leaders of the chemical industry and describes how they applied their economic and political power to prevent the creation of an effective system of environmental regulation. Research was slanted, unwelcome discoveries were suppressed, and friendly experts were placed in positions of influence, as science was subverted to serve the interests of business. The story of The Polluters is one that needs to be told, an unflinching depiction of the onslaught of chemical pollution and the chemical industry's unwillingness to face up to its devastating effects.

Author Biography

Benjamin Ross is both environmental scientist and commentator on current affairs. He has served on committees of the National Academy of Sciences and the USEPA Science Advi-sory Board and writes frequently for Dissent magazine.
Steven Amter is a hydrogeologist at the Washington consulting firm of Disposal Safety Inc. He specializes in the history of pollution.

Table of Contents

The Sorcerer's Apprentices	p. 1
Summoning the Spirits
Pollution Goes to Washington	p. 9
The Rise of the Chemical Industry	p. 17
Royd Sayers' Service Bureau	p. 28
Fetching a Flood
The Miracle Bug-Killer	p. 45
Wilhelm Hueper and Environmental Cancer	p. 59
Bad Air in Los Angeles	p. 73
Donora's Strangler Smog	p. 86
A New Deal for Clean Water	p. 98
Deregulating California's Water	p. 107
The Stealth Pollutants	p. 118
Holding Back the Deluge
DuPont Tries to Clean Up	p. 129
The Industry Responds	p. 141
From Donora to Love Canal	p. 151
Epilogue: Convenient Hopes and Inconvenient Truths	p. 167
Key to Archival Citations	p. 173
List of Abbreviations	p. 175
Notes	p. 177
Index	p. 215
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