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Reviews
Poison Spring: The Secret History of Pollution and the EPA by E.G. Vallianatos, McKay Jenkins
bookhoarding's review against another edition
4.0
Who is the EPA really protecting? That terrifying notion is the focus of this book, written in the ongoing tradition of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. Vallianatos' Poison Spring brings to light a concerning amount of cases in which the institution created to protect the environment, and the humans that subsist off of it, does the opposite.
I felt the author did a fantastic job setting up the book for those not familiar with exactly what the EPA does or how it works. He also makes a very clear distinction between "chemicals" and "synthetic chemicals", which is an important distinction when discussing the issues around pollution intelligently.
From ground water poisoning to the slow deaths of the farmworkers that often work closest to the intensive synthetics big agriculture relies on, Vallianatos show the spectrum of cover-ups and mishandlings, all of which result in a cost to people. I think the strength of this book is the amount of cases and sources he uses, showing that this has been a continuous issue that has only gotten more severe over time.
This book is a necessary read for any citizen because it make you think about the cleaning supplies you buy, the water in your coffee and what may be lurking on the surface of that apple. As we confront climate change issues we must grasp the fact that the decisions we make can have effects on people miles away, and vise versa.
I felt the author did a fantastic job setting up the book for those not familiar with exactly what the EPA does or how it works. He also makes a very clear distinction between "chemicals" and "synthetic chemicals", which is an important distinction when discussing the issues around pollution intelligently.
From ground water poisoning to the slow deaths of the farmworkers that often work closest to the intensive synthetics big agriculture relies on, Vallianatos show the spectrum of cover-ups and mishandlings, all of which result in a cost to people. I think the strength of this book is the amount of cases and sources he uses, showing that this has been a continuous issue that has only gotten more severe over time.
This book is a necessary read for any citizen because it make you think about the cleaning supplies you buy, the water in your coffee and what may be lurking on the surface of that apple. As we confront climate change issues we must grasp the fact that the decisions we make can have effects on people miles away, and vise versa.
jnkay01's review against another edition
3.0
"E.G. Vallianatos' complaints about the heavy influence that large corporations wield over the U.S. government and environmental policy won't be news to anyone who follows the debates over genetically modified crops or the ingredients in popular cosmetics. What is surprising and depressing in "Poison Spring," however, is when that influence began, especially over the regulation of pesticides. ..."
Read more of my review of "Poison Spring" for The Associated Press here: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/poison-spring-details-dirty-epa-history
Read more of my review of "Poison Spring" for The Associated Press here: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/poison-spring-details-dirty-epa-history
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