Lead Wars: The Politics of Science and the Fate of America's ChildrenIn this incisive examination of lead poisoning during the past half century, Gerald Markowitz and David Rosner focus on one of the most contentious and bitter battles in the history of public health. Lead Wars details how the nature of the epidemic has changed and highlights the dilemmas public health agencies face today in terms of prevention strategies and chronic illness linked to low levels of toxic exposure. The authors use the opinion by Maryland’s Court of Appeals—which considered whether researchers at Johns Hopkins University’s prestigious Kennedy Krieger Institute (KKI) engaged in unethical research on 108 African-American children—as a springboard to ask fundamental questions about the practice and future of public health. Lead Wars chronicles the obstacles faced by public health workers in the conservative, pro-business, anti-regulatory climate that took off in the Reagan years and that stymied efforts to eliminate lead from the environments and the bodies of American children. |
Contents
FROM PERSONAL TRAGEDY TO PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS | 28 |
NEW LAYERS OF | 52 |
THE CONTENTIOUS MEANING OF LOWLEVEL | 87 |
THE RISE OF PUBLIC HEALTH PRAGMATISM | 122 |
CONTROLLED POISON | 143 |
RESEARCH ON TRIAL | 168 |
LEAD POISONING AND THE COURTS | 198 |
A PLAGUE ON ALL OUR HOUSES | 215 |
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Common terms and phrases
African American Agency argued attorney Baltimore behavioral blood lead levels Center chelation therapy child Childhood Lead Poisoning clinical Committee court damage danger David decades deciliter Denworth developed disease Doe Run Papers early effects of lead eliminate Ellen Silbergeld environment Environmental Health Ernhart ethical Ethyl Corporation exposure to lead Farfel federal harm Herbert Needleman Hill & Knowlton housing human Ibid ILZRO industry's interview issue Johns Hopkins Journal Julian Chisolm Kennedy Krieger Institute Kerpelman KKI Papers KKI study landlords Landrigan lawsuits Lead Absorption lead dust lead hazard lead in gasoline lead paint lead researchers Lead-Based Paint lead's levels of lead Lin-Fu lower Mark Farfel Maryland micrograms Mushak National partial abatement Paul Mushak Pediatrics political pollution potential prevention problem programs protect public health reduce removal responsibility Rhode Island risk scientific scientists Shapiro smelter social toxic toxins U.S. EPA University urban Washington York µg/dl