Venomous Earth: How Arsenic Caused the World's Worst Mass Poisoning (Hardcover)

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Review
"Meharg tells the lively and cautionary story of arsenic's misuse over the centuries." "--Newsweek International""There is much here to fascinate a general audience." --"Nature""An accessible book on a complex and intractable problem. Blending science, history, culture, economics and development studies is clearly what is needed to arouse an indifferent Western public." --"Times Higher Educational Supplement""There is much to praise in a book that will hopefully stimulate greater awareness of this tragedy." --"Chemisty World""The unfolding arsenic tragedy in Bangladesh and India compels far greater attention from the international community than it currently receives. Venomous Earth provides a fascinating account both of the historical role of arsenic in our lives, and the horrific impact of what has been called 'the largest mass poisioning of a population in history'." --Jonathon Porritt, "The Forum for the Future"
"Meharg is good on the technological and political challenges of testing water. He is terrific on the wider history of arsenic, in alchemy, industry and interior decorating." --"The Guardian"
"Meharg weaves stories of alchemy and toxic cosmetics, early health and safety law and the wallpaper of William Morris into an interesting and concisely told narrative."--"New Scientist"
"This book makes the scientific issues underlying a major human tragedy accessible to the average reader." --"The Hindu"
"FOUR STARS. Well worth reading." www.popularscience.co.uk
"One of the best books on arsenic one can read, beautifully compiling the science and history of the element." --"Down To Earth Magazine""This is an excellent treatment of a broad and complex topic, anoutstanding piece of scholarship translated into popular science. This book should be read by all environment professionals academics and students. It is an excellent illustration of how to flesh out the bones of scientific fact by integrating it with a wider perception of human existence. Go out and buy it" -- "Journal of Environmental Quality"
"Meharg's explanations of the processes by which arsenic ends up concentrating in water-bearing strata are fascinating. He argues for preventive action so arsenic poisoning doesn't become more widespread. His warning is of great importance. It needs to be heeded." -- "Chemical and Engineering News""A highly recommended pick for both health and public library holdings. An important survey" -- "Midwest Book Review""A very erudite, colourful and fascinating account of the history of arsenic and its uses. An excellent buy: it is not only as readable as Simon Singh's "The Code Book" or Dava Sobel's "Longitude," but it will also help raise awareness of an important problem that it is within our gift to do something about." -- "Mineralogical Magazine"""

New Scientist
"Meharg weaves stories of alchemy and toxic cosmetics...health and safety law and wallpaper...into an interesting and concisely told narrative."

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1 Review 5 star:    (0) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   1 of 1 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars A gripping and perplexing history of arsenic, 13 Jan 2008 By  Christian Jongeneel (Rotterdam, Netherlands) - See all my reviews Just a you have finished reading how arsenic became a mass murderer in the eighteenth century as a dye for wall paper and a popular cure for all sorts of ailments, and how it finally had been denounced by the year 1900, then Andrew Meharg, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Aberdeen, makes his most perplexing point. People are still dying of arsenic, in droves. Polluted surface water in Bangladesh has led to the construction of thousands of wells in the country, striking underground water layers replete with arsenic. It is still unclear how many millions of people are affected, imbibing overdoses of arsenic on a daily basis. Bangladesh is not the only nation affected. In the developed world the United States have a poor record of controlling arsenic concentrations in tap water. Mr Meharg advises visitors to Nevada especially to stick with bottled water. Strictly speaking, 'Venomous earth', is a thoroughly researched history book, covering its subject from the Roman emperor Nero to recent times. But it leaves the reader perplexed at such a poisoning going on on such a baffling scale. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all customer reviews...		Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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