Awards

• AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books Longlist

Overview

Many of the most toxic materials on Earthfrom arsenic to plutoniumoccur naturally but manufacturers have also used them in products such as paints plumbing pesticides nuclear fuel and weaponry. Without careful management toxins can leach into groundwater or pollute our environment. Exposure to toxins leads to various cancers impairment of the immune and reproductive systems as well as cognitive problems. What can be done? Solutions include a wide range of infrastructure approaches such as better water filtration governmental and manufacturing regulations outright bans on certain chemicals careful monitoring and the use of alternative fuels. Learn more about key contaminants and their impact on health as well as solutions on a global and individual level.

Full Product Details

9781541519794

Table of Contents

Reviews

""Terrific for classroom use. Environmental chemistry that is eminently readable and hopeful.""—Kirkus Reviews ""[L]ucid and very accessible. . . . [W]ould be a worthwhile addition to public or middle- and high-school libraries.""—Booklist

This title focuses on four areas of environmental chemistry: heavy metals, pesticides, fuel and energy, and nuclear energy. Each section describes some of the pollutants in each subject area that have a negative impact on human beings and the environment. After a thorough discussion of the pollutants, illustrated with current events such as the Flint water crisis or the Fukushima nuclear reactor disaster, each section closes with suggestions for the reader. The narrow range of pollutants allows for greater depth in the discussion. Sidebar stories amplify the topics, adding an additional dimension. Emphasis is given to scientists and activists working on greener solutions. Photographs, charts, and diagrams amply supplement the text, and there are plenty of source notes, a detailed glossary, and resources providing further information. The layout is crisp and clear, and the writing is lucid and very accessible. The book is more suitable for supporting school work rather than casual reading and would be a worthwhile addition to public or middle- and high-school libraries.--Booklist -- Website This is a solutions-driven survey of the greatest threats to our increasingly toxic planet. While covering just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, this overview of environmental chemistry touches on topics ranging from CO2 emissions and pesticides to nuclear fission. It at times delves into scientific details--such as the subatomic breakdown of the elements--and this information is presented in a way that is generally friendly to its intended young adult audience. Zimmer (Lighting up the Brain, 2018, etc.), a professor of chemistry, includes numerous anecdotes that make for compelling reading, for example, relating how Marie Curie's notebooks are so radioactive that to this day they have to be stored in lead-lined boxes. Included in every chapter are up-to-date events such as the environmental and human injustice of the Flint water crisis. With the litany of hazards explored, it would be easy to feel hopeless, but Zimmer ends each chapter with the heading, 'What Can You Do?' These sections provide advice for achievable lifestyle changes as simple as bringing your own reusable bags to the market. Also woven throughout are viable solutions that have already been implemented, such as the Sono arsenic filtration system being used in Bangladesh. Despite the dire subject matter, this slim, amply illustrated book is engaging and even uplifting. Terrific for classroom use. Environmental chemistry that is eminently readable and hopeful.--Kirkus Reviews -- Journal

[L]ucid and very accessible. . . . [W]ould be a worthwhile addition to public or middle- and high-school libraries. --Booklist -- (2/15/2019 12:00:00 AM) Terrific for classroom use. Environmental chemistry that is eminently readable and hopeful. --Kirkus Reviews -- (11/7/2018 12:00:00 AM)

This is a solutions-driven survey of the greatest threats to our increasingly toxic planet. While covering just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, this overview of environmental chemistry touches on topics ranging from CO2 emissions and pesticides to nuclear fission. It at times delves into scientific details--such as the subatomic breakdown of the elements--and this information is presented in a way that is generally friendly to its intended young adult audience. Zimmer (Lighting up the Brain, 2018, etc.), a professor of chemistry, includes numerous anecdotes that make for compelling reading, for example, relating how Marie Curie's notebooks are so radioactive that to this day they have to be stored in lead-lined boxes. Included in every chapter are up-to-date events such as the environmental and human injustice of the Flint water crisis. With the litany of hazards explored, it would be easy to feel hopeless, but Zimmer ends each chapter with the heading, 'What Can You Do?' These sections provide advice for achievable lifestyle changes as simple as bringing your own reusable bags to the market. Also woven throughout are viable solutions that have already been implemented, such as the Sono arsenic filtration system being used in Bangladesh. Despite the dire subject matter, this slim, amply illustrated book is engaging and even uplifting. Terrific for classroom use. Environmental chemistry that is eminently readable and hopeful. --Kirkus Reviews --Journal

This is a solutions-driven survey of the greatest threats to our increasingly toxic planet. While covering just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, this overview of environmental chemistry touches on topics ranging from CO2 emissions and pesticides to nuclear fission. It at times delves into scientific details--such as the subatomic breakdown of the elements--and this information is presented in a way that is generally friendly to its intended young adult audience. Zimmer (Lighting up the Brain, 2018, etc.), a professor of chemistry, includes numerous anecdotes that make for compelling reading, for example, relating how Marie Curie's notebooks are so radioactive that to this day they have to be stored in lead-lined boxes. Included in every chapter are up-to-date events such as the environmental and human injustice of the Flint water crisis. With the litany of hazards explored, it would be easy to feel hopeless, but Zimmer ends each chapter with the heading, 'What Can You Do?' These sections provide advice for achievable lifestyle changes as simple as bringing your own reusable bags to the market. Also woven throughout are viable solutions that have already been implemented, such as the Sono arsenic filtration system being used in Bangladesh. Despite the dire subject matter, this slim, amply illustrated book is engaging and even uplifting. Terrific for classroom use. Environmental chemistry that is eminently readable and hopeful. --Kirkus Reviews --Journal This title focuses on four areas of environmental chemistry: heavy metals, pesticides, fuel and energy, and nuclear energy. Each section describes some of the pollutants in each subject area that have a negative impact on human beings and the environment. After a thorough discussion of the pollutants, illustrated with current events such as the Flint water crisis or the Fukushima nuclear reactor disaster, each section closes with suggestions for the reader. The narrow range of pollutants allows for greater depth in the discussion. Sidebar stories amplify the topics, adding an additional dimension. Emphasis is given to scientists and activists working on greener solutions. Photographs, charts, and diagrams amply supplement the text, and there are plenty of source notes, a detailed glossary, and resources providing further information. The layout is crisp and clear, and the writing is lucid and very accessible. The book is more suitable for supporting school work rather than casual reading and would be a worthwhile addition to public or middle- and high-school libraries. --Booklist --Website

Author Information

Marc Zimmer is the author of several nonfiction young adult books and a professor at Connecticut College, where he teaches chemistry and studies the proteins involved in producing light in jellyfish and fireflies. He received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and did his post-doc at Yale University. He has published articles on science and medicine for the Los Angeles Times, USA Today and the Huffington Post, among many other publications. He lives in Waterford, Connecticut, with his wife, their two children, and a genetically modified fluorescent mouse named Prometheus.

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