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carolynf 's review for:
Lead Wars: The Politics of Science and the Fate of America's Children
by Gerald E. Markowitz
This is a very detailed look at the struggle to get lead paint and leaded gas away from children. It starts in the 1920s, and is a continuation of "Deceit and Denial: The Deadly Politics of Industrial Pollution" by the same author. At times the level of detail is a bit overwhelming. It seems like EVERY paper ever written about the dangers of lead is addressed. But even in small doses this book is illumination. It makes it very clear that even a small amount of lead is extremely damaging to the mental development of a child. Meanwhile the lead industry was determined to base the legal level of "safe" lead on the amount that it takes to actually kill an adult. We are given specific numbers on the number of homes containing lead paint, and the cost of completely cleaning them. The research that the Kennedy Krieger Institute of John Hopkins University did on the development of children in homes with varying degrees of lead cleanup is a primary focus.