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    ContamiNation: My Quest to Survive in a Toxic World
    ContamiNation: My Quest to Survive in a Toxic World
    ContamiNation: My Quest to Survive in a Toxic World
    Audiobook8 hours

    ContamiNation: My Quest to Survive in a Toxic World

    Written by McKay Jenkins

    Narrated by Eric Michael Summerer

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A few years ago, journalism professor McKay Jenkins went in for a routine medical exam. What doctors found was not routine at all: a tumor, the size of a navel orange, was lurking in his abdomen. When Jenkins returned to the hospital to have the tumor removed, he was visited by a couple of researchers with clipboards. They had some questions for him. Odd questions like, how much exposure had he had to toxic chemicals and other contaminants? Asbestos dust? Vinyl chlorine? Pesticides?
    From the moment he left the hospital, Jenkins resolved to discover the truth about chemicals and the "healthy" levels of exposure we encounter each day as Americans. He spent the next two years digging, exploring five frontiers of toxic exposure-the body, the home, the drinking water, the lawn, and the local box store-and asking how we allowed ourselves to get to this point. Most important, though, Jenkins wanted to know what we can do to turn things around. Though toxins may be present in products we all use every day, there are ways to lessen our exposure. ContamiNation is an eye-opening report from the front lines of consumer advocacy.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJan 26, 2016
    ISBN9781515970323
    ContamiNation: My Quest to Survive in a Toxic World
    Author

    McKay Jenkins

    McKay Jenkins has been writing about humans and the natural world for just as long. His most recent book is What's Gotten Into Us: Staying Healthy in a Toxic World, was hailed as "a Silent Spring for the human body" (--Richard Preston, author of The Hot Zone). Jenkins is the Cornelius Tilghman Professor of English, Journalism and Environmental Humanities at the University of Delaware, where he has won the Excellence in Teaching Award.

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    Reviews for ContamiNation

    4/5

    27 ratings13 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Life-changing information! It’s crazy how the regulations never change in the world doesn’t become safer but the Republicans and the Democrats put each other against each other and say well the Democrats won’t change for the environment and the the Republicans don’t but both parties failed to represent and everything’s just all talk! The world has gotten more polluted
    • 5/5
      (Warning to the reader: beware of "dry mouth," a consequence of reading this book with your jaw dropped in horror as you realize the extent of deadly toxins around you.) ContamiNation is a startling exposé of the chemical dangers to which we are exposed in our daily lives. Blissfully unaware we host these toxins in our bodies, where they wreak havoc on our health, even if we think that we are making healthy choices. McKay Jenkins has assembled an excellent digest of the panoply of chemical dangers in our homes and out. The book is highly readable, in an "everyman" style, which makes it seem as if your likeable neighbor is recounting his incredible experiences to you. Jenkins' book lays out the full result of a startling fact presented on page 11: "99 percent of chemicals in use today have never been tested for their effects on human health." You will be astounded by the lack of oversight in the U.S. of what can legally be contained into our food, products and water. From phthalates in plastics to flame retardants in floor coverings and clothes, we are bombarded by chemicals embedded in everyday products. Jenkins interviews experts and activists in various areas of these concerns, who illuminate the need to reevaluate so many things that we take for granted in our environment. It all can be a bit dizzying, but thankfully, Jenkins provides helpful starting points for reducing our exposure to toxins in his appendix.This book is a superb analysis of what is missing in our quests for healthier living. It is well-researched and well-written for the consumer. I look forward to reading more from McKay Jenkins.
    • 4/5
      A frightening look at the many chemicals to which we are all exposed, and, to a large extent, are not able to avoid. Many of these chemical are known or suspected carcinogens, or are allergens or disease-causing. Written by someone who survived a tumor, sparking his interest in discovering what might have caused it, it was first published in 2011 and is now re-issued under a different title. Jenkins covers food, body products, cleaning products, tap water, lawn care, and home construction and furniture. This will leave you disturbed by the knowledge that we are powerless to avoid so many of these toxic substances.
    • 4/5
      This is an interesting book. The author has conducted some research on the toxic chemicals that we commonly use in the US. While the book has some practical ideas on how to decrease exposure (see appendix in book), it lacks scientific evidence of the risks. Much of the concern is based on either epidemiological information without direct cause and effect or on a theoretical basis. Individual cases, while useful cannot be used to form more global policy. Even considering this problem, which is understandable based on the paucity of scientific studies, I consider the argument to take action as compelling.
    • 3/5
      Virtually, totally lacking in good, peer-reviewed sources for information. There's a lot of "this expert says" and references to other shrill, poorly researched books on the subject. It's a very important public health and environmental topic; too important for this kind of treatment. Paracelsus told us that the dose makes the poison, and yes, I admit, it's very difficult to draw conclusions way down on the left end of the dose-response curve. But,without good research, this author comes across as just another hypochondriac.
    • 1/5
      Unfortunately, I was not disappointed. The author has done a thorough job of exposing source of hazardous chemicals in the environment, particularly those in the daily lives of people. However, he has not done as thorough a job of looking at the potential impacts of alternatives he proposes. Organic products have environmental impacts, but these impacts differ than the non-organic products they replace. Every coin has two sides.
    • 5/5
      Turns out what you don't know can hurt you.It started out with a health scare and suddenly author McKay Jenkins' world was turned upside down. Even though the health crisis was resolved Jenkins still questioned why it happened to him. He led a healthy lifestyle and did everything right according to conventional thought. Nothing wrong with his gene make-up either. But he felt there had to be something that caused his illness and was determined to find out what it was. What he found was shocking and disheartening. He discovered that the modern lifestyle of 'better living through chemistry' had completely infiltrated our world without our knowledge or consent. While that would have been disturbing enough on its own, it also appeared that safety testing was lax at best and non-existant more frequently than not. Yet the sheer scope of exposure to these chemicals is mind boggling - there is is no escape. Filling our homes, cars, food, lawns and water, these chemicals will find their way into even the most pure and pristine lifestyle. And it all finds its way into your body; what happens then is anyone's guess.In the tradition of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring this is a truly frightening book. McKay Jenkins is to be commended for putting forth this wake-up call. And we all need to smell the coffee (on second thought - maybe not). Highly recommended for anyone who cares about their health and/or the health of the planet.
    • 4/5
      The world is a very different place than it was 100 years ago, go back another 100 years and interchangeable parts are still more idea than fact.  But the most intimate changes wrought by industrialization and it's partner capitalism are as invisible as they are pervasive.  The fact of the matter is that there is no part of the world untouched by toxins, chemicals and industrial byproducts that simply didn't exist in the world prior to industrialization.  Jenkins doesn't claim to have the verdict on which substances are and aren't safe and at what levels.  What he does point out is that we are putting things into our bodies, many of which just hang out there, which the human body has never harbored before.  We carry pesticides, plastics, artificial hormones, flame retardents and god knows what else in our bodies, some of them in our breast milk.  We pick these up at our homes, work, in our food and water.  In fact scientists have found manmade chemicals in penguins on living in Anarctica.  Some of these things are certain to effect the chemical processes that make our bodies function, and yet, we act as if they won't or they aren't there.  Jenkins book paints a critical picture of just how broad such contamination is, but he also makes it clear that this is the product of the choices and actions of people.  He points out practical choices people can make to reduce their exposure and support environmentally friendly businesses.  I was particularly struck by the volume of pollution and toxic exposure linked to lawn maintainance.  A practice which, lets face it, is basically just a display meant to demonstrate that we are good little residents conforming to a purely aesthetic practice where in we must perpetually fight the environment's natural equilibrium.  That might just be the definition of Sysiphean madness.In any case, I've already gone a year happily cleaning my hair with good old fashioned H20 so I'm feeling pretty impowered to continue to gradually decrease my depence on chemical products in every day life.  Shockingly it turns out you can do an awful lot of cleaning cheaper and more safely doing things the way your great grandmother did.  Oh, capitalism...
    • 4/5
      I was a bit disappointed when I received this book to find that it was published several years ago and this is apparently a re-release. That said, the basis hasn't changed since 2011 unless it has gotten worse. If you aren't concerned/worried/scared to death already about the toxic world we live in, you should be. On the other hand, since there is really precious little we can do about it, all things considered, people might be forgiven for "playing ostrich". I would recommend all young people read this, since they will be delivering and raising their children in this toxic stew that is destined not to improve any time soon.
    • 3/5
      McKay Jenkins offers us a frankly horrifying look at the toxins that surround us daily. Jenkins demonstrates through exhaustive research that chemicals are an ever-present reality in our homes, offices, cleaning supplies, toys, lawns and drinking water. While the author does an exemplary job showing how the problem developed and the havoc that it can wreak on human health, there is a dearth of practical solutions to limit personal chemical exposure. He does make some suggestions, but, ultimately, the reader is left with the understanding that while there is clearly a problem, a solution is far from certain.
    • 3/5
      An exploration into the everyday lives of the toxins that surround us.Just how healthy are we trying to live? We can make small adjustments in our lives. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Use more organic materials in our cleaning supplies, our children's toys, and even our furniture. Exercise more. But what good does that do us when, no matter what we do, toxins permeate nearly everything in our lives?McKay Jenkins offers an exploratory look at just what exactly it is that lives among us. His list…is exhausting. From the stuff in our tap water to the nauseating smells of the big box store, it's incredible how much we have come to rely on synthetic plastics and flame retardants. Is it really saving us? Or are we just making ourselves sicker? It's important to note that the complexities are much more deeper than what Jenkins presents in the book, but at the same time it's a step forward in acknowledging what is happening in our society and steps one person can take to make a change. It's not easy. But if you want an eye opening experience that will, at the very least, make you question your next purchase, then take a look at this.
    • 5/5
      This book is categorized under science, medicine and environmental studies, but I think a “horror” categorization would be just as apt. Seriously—it reveals the type of disturbing things that will make you want to curl up under your bed and hide. Jenkins refers to actual product ingredient lists, scientific studies and experts to paint a picture of how overwhelmingly toxic our world has become. Even the most innocuous things, from face lotion to baby pajamas to foam seating, contain toxins that our bodies are absorbing and accumulating, leading to cancer, neurological issues and birth defects. Even worse, no one can escape contamination. “Body burden” studies have shown that people who purposefully lead healthy, organic lifestyles, and people who live in remote areas that you wouldn’t expect to be tainted by chemicals, still have alarmingly high levels of toxins in their bodies. So what can we do? This books provides a starting point for figuring out what harmful products to get rid of, what safe products to buy, and how to lessen exposure. On a bigger scale, the public needs to push the government to impose more stringent regulations on the industry, and push it to support efforts to find safe alternatives to toxic chemicals. Would definitely recommend reading this book. Toxins are a problem that affects everyone. The world won’t be fixed overnight, but you can become knowledgeable and start taking control of your own health today.
    • 4/5
      A most interesting and eye-opening book. Well written with personal stories and facts. It was an easy read. However, after reading this book you will never look at the world the same. It will give you a new perspective on things you may have not have even given much thought to previously. You will probably not see items in your kitchen or the "wonderful" array of items for sale in the store or even your child's rubber duck bath toy the same as you did previously. Sadly, it will both scare you and make you mad. The book deals with toxins in our environment and in the things we use every day. And like something out of a horror movie, "there is no escape."