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theotheremily 's review for:
Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation
by Dan Fagin
I have an appreciation for everyday heroes fighting against pollution. I LOVED Erin Brokovich. But I’d fall asleep in a chemistry class. This book was written with people like me in mind. It tells the tale of how billions of gallons of industrial pollution found its way to Toms River, New Jersey, and the impact it had on the community over decades. Throughout Fagin intersperses background on the histories of dye production, biostatistics, and cancer epidemiology. By the end I was reading about complex hydrology modeling and the importance of confidence intervals in cluster studies thinking whoa, I have learned so much.
Fagin works it all in by never losing sight of the characters, of which he introduces you to many-- Greenpeace activists, an alarmed pediatric oncology nurse, and frustrated state government bureaucrats. But is also a story of a community that seems on the verge of tearing itself up several times over how far to push health concerns without threatening economic growth. There are also years and years where the community returns to the daily grind without knowing what is in their drinking water (which, seriously- who among us hasn’t).
If you want a triumphant Hollywood ending you will be disappointed. It is a long and arduous journey to piece together the health effects, if any. Fagin makes the case here that Toms River wasn’t due to government working effectively, but instead a mix of perseverance and chance encounters that enabled dots to be connected. But even by end the dots aren’t as firmly connected as you would like. Fagin notes this world is not one of clear rules and throwing-the-book-at-them consequences, but quieter and grayer area of confidence intervals and mediation.
Basically I think everyone should read this book, and many more books like this one should be written. Fagin leaves us on a chilling thought that cancer clusters are likely more common than we realize and we don’t really have the tools to detect them. Also rather than going away, the disposal of these toxic chemicals has shifted from places like New Jersey to other countries. The work of the Erin Brokoviches and Dan Fagins of the world marches on.
Fagin works it all in by never losing sight of the characters, of which he introduces you to many-- Greenpeace activists, an alarmed pediatric oncology nurse, and frustrated state government bureaucrats. But is also a story of a community that seems on the verge of tearing itself up several times over how far to push health concerns without threatening economic growth. There are also years and years where the community returns to the daily grind without knowing what is in their drinking water (which, seriously- who among us hasn’t).
If you want a triumphant Hollywood ending you will be disappointed. It is a long and arduous journey to piece together the health effects, if any. Fagin makes the case here that Toms River wasn’t due to government working effectively, but instead a mix of perseverance and chance encounters that enabled dots to be connected. But even by end the dots aren’t as firmly connected as you would like. Fagin notes this world is not one of clear rules and throwing-the-book-at-them consequences, but quieter and grayer area of confidence intervals and mediation.
Basically I think everyone should read this book, and many more books like this one should be written. Fagin leaves us on a chilling thought that cancer clusters are likely more common than we realize and we don’t really have the tools to detect them. Also rather than going away, the disposal of these toxic chemicals has shifted from places like New Jersey to other countries. The work of the Erin Brokoviches and Dan Fagins of the world marches on.