| Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things |  | Authors: Rick Smith, Bruce Lourie
Publisher: Counterpoint
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
Buy New: $15.66
as of 9/3/2010 18:48 CDT details
New (24) Used (16) from $12.00
Seller: sbd-
Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 27,160
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 336
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 1582435677
Dewey Decimal Number: 615.902
EAN: 9781582435671
Publication Date: January 5, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Pollution is no longer just about belching smokestacks and ugly sewer pipes—now, it’s personal. The most dangerous pollution, it turns out, comes from commonplace items in our homes and workplaces. To prove this point, for one week authors Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie ingested and inhaled a host of things that surround all of us. Using their own bodies as the reference point to tell the story of pollution in our modern world, they expose the miscreant corporate giants who manufacture the toxins, the weak-kneed government officials who let it happen, and the effects on people and families across the globe. This book—the testimony of their experience—exposes the extent to which we are poisoned every day of our lives, from the simple household dust that is polluting our blood to the toxins in our urine that are created by run-of-the-mill shampoos and toothpaste. Ultimately hopeful, the book empowers readers with some simple ideas for protecting themselves and their families, and changing things for the better.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 19
 Slow Death by Rubber Duck August 31, 2010
Betty B. Vig
Everyone should read SLOW DEATH BY RUBBER DUCK. Even if we can't solve all the problems of the ingestion of chemicals, we can start. Due to Smith and Lourie's book, I no longer cook with non-stick pans. I use stainless steel and enamel coated cast iron. We do not eat tuna or other large fish. We try to avoid flame retardants and products that contain fragrances. We threw out our plastic coffee cups. We now use glass mugs. I'm buying frozen vegetables rather than those in tin cans. We do not buy anti-bacterial soap. I bought two of these books. I plan to write a letter to the newspaper and then donate one to our local library.
 interesting propaganda August 24, 2010
Tina R. Stump (Columbus, OH USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Rick and Bruce decide to experiment on themselves to see if everyday items containing "toxic" chemicals increased chemicals these chemicals in their blood and urine samples. Some examples: mercury, BPA, phthalates, triclosan' One ate tuna for I believe 2 days straight, at least 2 meals a day. They put scotchguard on the carpet and breathed in the fumes. One ate foods from BPA laden cans and microwaved the food in plastic containers. He even drank from a baby bottle. They did some traveling to areas that have had outbreaks of chemicals in the water, they went to some political rallies along with mom and babies in strollers, they took meetings with gov't officials. Oh, and they (or at least one of them) used everyday products such as Gillete shave cream, Pantene shampoo in their experiments. They found out that yes, the chemicals that were in question did increase in their samples and that moms and cute babies in strollers can have an effect on politicians.
It's a good read if you're interested. For me, it's a bit too political...sort of like "look! we can force our will on the government!". The experiments proved nothing...except that yes, you are increasing the level of these chemicals. That's it. There's no information on what it does to the body. Supposedly BPA is a hormone disrupter or something. Sooo, is your sperm damaged? Did you check that? What about your cholesterol or your blood pressure? Brain function? Also, what else is in your blood? More testing is needed on these "toxic" chemicals and proof shown that they are causing damage to humans, not rats..not mice..not monkeys. Humans. That is all.
 Please read this book -- Our future depends on it! August 4, 2010
Aileen Hampton (Salt Lake City, UT United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I'm recommending this book to everyone (except those easily alarmed). If you've ever wondered if those pesticides on your neighbour's lawn might cause you trouble, or assumed that rubber ball in your son's mouth was no problem, or noticed how fast polycarbonate baby bottles disappeared from the shelves in spring 2008 when the previous December they were about the only choice available, then this book will open your eyes. Not to be doomsday or anything, but it turns out... it is true -- that a dozens of items we use everyday, slathering on our bodies, eating out of, and breathing in, that we believe are safe, are actually made of substances already proven to be toxic to our health. These chemicals are a factor responsible for the recent increase of a dozen diseases that are plaguing modern day society -- including ADHD, autism, Type II diabetes, infertility, cancer, and Parkinson's Disease. They create a great, invisible pollution now found permeating everyone's bodies, all over the world. This book explains how life has gotten to this state and how you can make changes in your family's life immediately, for quick improvements, and how to get involved for long-term environmental benefit.
Seven chemicals or chemical classes are covered. I like that most of the science is there, but it is intentionally written for the lay person to understand and remember the best actions to take. Especially intriguing is the new science presented -- the authors experimented on their own bodies to give us new data on the ability of these toxins to quickly enter the human body through typical use. I won't change everything in my life now that I know more of the "Secret Dangers of Everyday Things" (as subtitled), but I appreciate being enlightened in certain choices where the negative aspects are no longer completely hidden (let's avoid air fresheners and bathing in antibacterial soap! Don't buy any more non-stick pans! Now I know why to avoid too much of certain fish. And I'm glad I don't use a dozen beauty products everyday). To a certain extent, there's no point crying over spilt chemicals. But we can each now change many of the products we use and demand manufacturers provide safer alternatives. A lot must be done to redirect our toxic future.
This book was written by Canadians and goes into some Canadian politics, but necessarily gives much focus to American culture and politics since most of the chemical companies originated in the US.
The perfect baby shower gift July 20, 2010
leslie edwards, Fayetteville, GA
The book, Slow Death by Rubber Duck, is an eye opener about the dangers of the chemicals we encounter everyday. The authors spell out clearly how lobbyests for chemical companies actually promote fire retardants as beneficial to the safety of children when the reality is that the same chemicals have lasting negative effects on those who come in contact with them. It is all about profits and not about safety. They push for more regulation and more stringent flame retardant requirements from the government to increase the ways fire retardants are mandated. The number of people who are actually ever in a fire is miniscule compared to the dangers of the chemicals on babies,children and adults. Fire retardants are in children's clothes, furniture, carpets and more and are found in mother's breast milk. Putting fire retardant clothing on babies is like pouring chemicals on their little bodies. Some cotton clothes have fire retardants but there are cheical free clothes available.
The book also discusses non stick cookware and the dangers of Teflon. Safe cookware is stainless steel, copper and cast iron. Even if you don't use Teflon fry pans, the same chemical is used in a tremendous amount of food packaging, including the inside of microwave popcorn bags.
Harmful chemicals are found in toys, electronics, makeup, shampoo, food and more.
If you have noticed an increase in cancers among children and adults, the book makes a correlation between the increase and the use of chemicals that is hard to ignore. Some groups link breast cancer, prostrate cancer, autism and a host of other health issues to the use of harmful chemicals in every day products.
There are steps people can take to avoid as many chemicals as possible but unless the government stops the use of dangerous cheimicals in everyday products, they will continue to effect the health of citizens.
I recommend this book to everyone and especially new mothers to be. It is a great shower gift for an expectant mother although it could be awkward if other gifts obviously include dangerous chemicals. The information is so important but wholly ignored by the public and the government. It is possible that by spreading the word, to start an honest dialogue about the dangers of chemicals in everyday products.
Timely and disturbing July 6, 2010
Lee Lukaszewicz (New England)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This riveting report by Canadian environmentalists Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie is a wake-up call for all Americans, no matter where in North America you live, and for that matter, the world. It does and should leave you stunned. The premise of the book is self-experimentation, as Mr. Smith and Mr. Lourie offer themselves up as guinea pigs by exposing themselves to a host of common household products, everything from dish soap to personal care products to tuna fish, measuring blood and urine samples before, during and after exposure. Scary results are revealed.
The human body is a magnificent machine, one which we unwittingly mistreat with the tens of thousands of chemicals commonly in use at present. The body is forgiving to a certain degree. For example, a group of chemicals called phthalates is flushed from the system fairly quickly when exposure is reduced or eliminated. But what happens when exposure to a great multitude of chemicals is chronic and long term? What happens when our environment is saturated with them? Well, we know a lot, but new information is revealing an even more disturbing picture.
Pollution isn't just billowing from smokestacks anymore. It is in your home, in your house dust and your kids' toys, lining your canned goods and your popcorn bag, sprayed on your lawn, sofa and carpet, in your baby's plastic bottle. We are exposed to and bathing in this "toxic soup" everyday - we inhale it, we sit on it, we sleep with it, we cook with it, eat it and drink it. Everyday products expose us to chemicals that not only cause cancer, but are also suspected and in some cases proven to disrupt hormones, lead to insulin resistance, cause high cholesterol, neurological and reproductive disorders, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders and even obesity. In some cases, especially with reproductive abnormalities, damage is seen across multiple generations.
Authors Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie have brought us an enlightening report that can help us rid ourselves of at least some of the toxins in our everyday environment. For example, we no longer apply weed-and-feed to our lawn, cook with Teflon, or use disposable plastic water bottles. We have switched from a vinyl shower curtain to cloth and avoid air fresheners. We pop our own popcorn, try to buy clothing made of natural fiber, and use scentless laundry detergent. The authors give many suggestions for making simple changes that can help rid your home of unnecessary chemicals.
Still, scariest of all, the authors expose in detail the inescapable saturation of the environment with persistant chemicals such as mercury, PCBs, and DDT. This book will open your eyes to what is in your environment, both at home and in the world. As scientists are becoming even more aware of the dangers of environmental toxins, new regulation has been successfully demanded, but with the strong resistance of big industry and slow government response, we still have a long way to go. This book will give you a place to start.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 19
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