Toxics A to Z: A Guide to Everyday Pollution Hazards

John Harte, Cheryl Holdren, Richard Schneider, Christine Shirley

University of California Press, Nov 15, 2023 - Health & Fitness - 576 pages

• Toxics A to Z features and alphabetical listing of over 100 toxics, identifying . . .
  • What they are
  • How they are measured
  • Where they are found
  • The symptoms of exposure
  • What their known risks are
  • How we can lessen or avoid those risks

• An easy-to-use Cross-Reference Guide to help readers identify toxics in 18 major groups, including indoor and outdoor air pollutants, household items, and lawn and garden products

• A glossary of terms, explanation of abbreviations, and listing of sources for further help and information

Contents

• Toxics in Perspective: 5
• B Causes of Death and Disease: 8
• The Language of Toxics: 15
• B Units Used to Describe Toxics: 18
• Testing and Classification of Toxics: 27
• B Classification of Toxics: 31
• Toxics in the Body: 34
• B Sensitive Groups: 40
• C Nutrition and Susceptibility to Toxics: 42
• Toxics in Air: 47
• B Smoking and Health: 50
• C Indoor Air Pollution: 51
• Toxics in Water: 55
• Toxics in Groundwater: 58
• Toxics in Food: 61
• B Why Alcohol and Other Chemicals Dont Mix: 63
• How Much Is Nature to Blame?: 64
• Toxics in Consumer Products: 67
• B Hobbies and Crafts: 68
• C Some Product Comparisons: 69
• Movement of Toxics through the Environment: 77
• B Water: 81
• C Soil: 83
• Toxics in the Biosphere: 86
• B Ecological Effects of Toxics: 88
• Three Global Environmental Hazards of Pollutants: 91
• B Stratospheric Ozone Depletion: 94
• C Acid Rain: 96
• Toxic Metals: 103
• B Human Health Effects: 104
• Petrochemicals: 106
• B Solvents: 108
• Pesticides: 112
• B Classification and Patterns of Use: 115
• C Human Health Concerns: 120
• D Environmental and Economic Constraints: 126
• A Case Study: 131
• F Alternatives to Conventional Pest Control: 132
• Radiation: 141
• B The Electromagnetic Spectrum: 143
• C How Radiation Affects Us: 144
• D Nuclear Fission and Nuclear Fusion: 145
• E Units Used to Describe Radiation: 146
• F Background Exposure and Radiation Standards: 149
• G Estimating the Risk of Radiation: 150
• H Food Irradiation: 151
• I Nuclear War: 153
• The Waste Crisis Sources and Solutions: 157
• B Waste Disposal: 159
• C Waste Processing: 164
• D Recycling and Other Approaches to Source Reduction: 166
• Regulating Toxics: 171
• B Protection of Air Quality: 175
• C Protection of Water Quality: 177
• D Public Health and Safety: 179
• E Waste Management: 184
• F Additional Laws Recently Passed or Under Consideration: 187
• G The Right to Know about Toxics: 188
• A GUIDE TO COMMONLY ENCOUNTERED TOXICS: 195
• Acetic Acid: 197
• Acetone: 198
• Acrolein: 200
• Aflatoxins: 201
• Alachlor: 203
• Aldicarb: 205
• Aldrin and Dieldrin: 207
• Aluminum: 210
• Ammonia: 214
• Arsenic: 217
• Asbestos: 222
• Aspartame: 225
• Asphalt: 226
• AzinophosMethyl: 227
• Barium: 229
• Benomyl: 231
• Benzene: 233
• Benzoapyrene BaP: 236
• Beryllium: 238
• BHT and BHA: 241
• Bischloromethylether: 243
• Cadmium: 244
• Caffeine: 248
• Captan Captafol and Folpet: 250
• Carbaryl: 253
• Carbon Black: 255
• Carbon Monoxide: 257
• Carbon Tetrachloride: 260
• Carrageenan: 262
• Cesium137: 263
• CFCs: 265
• Chlordane: 268
• Chlorine Hydrogen Chloride Hydrochloric Acid and Hypochlorite: 270
• Chloroform: 273
• Chromium: 276
• Creosote: 279
• 24D: 281
• Damlnozide: 283
• DDT: 286
• Diazinon: 289
• Dichlorvos: 292
• Dioxane: 294
• Dioxin: 296
• Di2ethylhexyl phthalate: 298
• Mancozeb Maneb Metiram and Zineb: 300
• Ethylene Dibromide EOB and Ethylene Dichloride EDC: 303
• Ethylene Glycol: 306
• Ethylene Oxide: 308
• Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields: 310
• Fluoride: 313
• Food Colors: 316
• Formaldehyde: 318
• Fosetyl AI: 322
• Glyphosate: 323
• Heptachlor: 325
• Hydroquinone: 327
• Iodine131: 329
• Laser Light: 331
• Lead: 333
• Lindane: 336
• Malathion: 339
• Mercury: 341
• Methyl Ethyl Ketorte: 344
• Methylene Chloride: 346
• Microwave and Radio Frequency Radiation: 348
• Mineral Fibers Nonasbestos: 350
• Monosodium Glutamate MSG: 351
• Naphthalene: 353
• Nickel: 354
• Nicotine: 358
• Nitrates Nitrites and Nitrosamines: 359
• Nitrogen Oxides: 365
• Noise: 368
• Oxalic Acid: 370
• Ozone and Other Photochemical Oxidants: 372
• Paraquat: 375
• Parathion and MethylParathion: 376
• Particulate Matter: 379
• PCBs and PBBs: 382
• Plutonium: 386
• Pyrethrum and Permethrin: 388
• Radon: 391
• Saccharin: 394
• Selenium: 395
• Sodium Hydroxide: 398
• Strontium90: 401
• Styrene: 403
• Sulfites: 405
• Sulfur Dioxide and Sulfates: 407
• 245T: 411
• Tetrachloroethylene: 413
• Toluene: 415
• Trichloroethane: 418
• Trichloroethylene: 420
• TRIS: 422
• Tritium: 424
• Ultrasound: 426
• Ultraviolet Radiation: 428
• Vinyl Chloride: 430
• Vinylidene Chloride: 432
• Warfarin: 433
• Xylene: 435
• Zinc: 436
• Glossary: 439
• Commonly Used Abbreviations for Units: 449
• Abbreviations for Environmental Laws and Institutions: 450
• Annotated Suggested Readings: 451
• Sources for Home Testing Equipment: 453
• National Hotlines: 455
• Index: 457

About the author

John Harte is professor and chair of the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California, Berkeley, where Richard Schneider and Christine Shirley completed their degrees. Harte is the author of many scientific papers and books, including The Green Fuse (California, 1993). Cheryl Holdren holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University. A population biologist, she specializes in insect and plat ecology.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Toxics A to Z: A Guide to Everyday Pollution Hazards
• Authors: John Harte, Cheryl Holdren, Richard Schneider, Christine Shirley
• Edition: reprint, annotated
• Publisher: University of California Press, 2023
• ISBN: 052091077X, 9780520910775
• Length: 576 pages
• Subjects: Health & Fitness / Health Care Issues; Nature / Ecology