Toxic Deception : How the Chemical Industry Manipulates Science, Bends the Law, and Endangers Your Health

Toxic pollution has increased frighteningly in the thirty-seven years since the publication of Rachel Carson's seminal Silent Spring, and the chemical industry has become infinitely more sophisticated at deploying legions of lobbyists, lawyers, scientists and public relations experts who camouflage its deadly deceptions. Prize-winning investigative journalists Dan Fagin and Marianne Lavelle and the Center for Public Integrity expose the secretive world of the chemical giants, unearthing questions disturbing enough to crush America's faith in the household products and foods that permeate its life -- dry cleaning, particleboard, plywood, permanent press fabrics, most popular cleaning products and common lawn sprays are all hazardous to your health. Without polemic, Toxic Deception details how and why corporations keep harmful products on the market even when safer, cheaper alternatives are available. Meticulously researched, Toxic Deception supplements its investigations with analysis of a range of scientific studies and, perhaps most chillingly, the stories of families whose lives have been devastated by toxic products that have damaged their health and environment. Toxic Deception doesn't stop short at uncovering the poisoning of our future -- several chapters explain how consumers can reduce their own risk and revitalize a dying system of health and safety laws.