Slow Death By Rubber Duck Chapter Summaries

Source

Summary:
     The parts I read of Slow Death By Rubber Duck mainly emphasized the difference between the minimal dangerous chemical distribution in the past and how it's become much more widespread now. They also focused on the family of one of the authors and their personal exposure to dangerous chemicals, and how it affected their lives. This author performed an experiment on himself, bombarding himself with phthalates and other dangerous chemicals to test the outcome.

     The passage that struck me the most is as follows:

"...in yet another unusual incident, a fire at a chemical plant in Switzerland released 30 tonnes of pesticides into the Rhine River, turning the waterway red."

     This passage, though small, strikes me because of the sheer amount of dangerous substance (or any substance) required to turn an entire river a solid color. Between rapid water movement, riverbed absorption and other blocking factors, a lot of the chemical wouldn't stay in the river very long, making the act of altering its color for any period of time that much more significant. Once the magnitude of that accident is fully understood, its potential impact can be realized, and the damage that 30 tonnes of pesticide can do in a population's drinking water is revealed for the catastrophic accident that it is.

     My personal reaction to this book can be summed up in a single sentence: the ends justify the means. Everything I use, everywhere I go on a daily basis requires dangerous chemicals. Without chemicals, dangerous or otherwise, our technologically functional society doesn't work. Nothing gets built, nothing gets done. I'm willing to accept the dangerous implications of chemically-altered nonstick cooking spray if it means I can make a clean omelette. I'm willing to risk exposure to heated airborne metal residue if it means I can use high-durability thermal paste to keep my computer running smoothly. I value the quality of my lifestyle above its potential length, and I'm willing to sacrifice a few years if it means I can enjoy it for now.

"Slow Death by Rubber Duck" Reviews

"Milk" according to Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie.

Sources:

http://www.treehugger.com/culture/slow-death-by-rubber-duck-book-review.html

http://evolvingwellness.com/posts/732/book-review-slow-death-by-rubber-duck/

http://www.phdinparenting.com/2009/06/23/book-review-slow-death-by-rubber-duck-by-rick-smith-and-bruce-lourie/#.T0_EHrLNnGU

Treehugger.com:
To be blunt, they were heavily disappointed by it. They found the authors' experimental methods to be contrived, misleading and unrepresentative of realistic conditions. They accuse the book of being written to be popular and accessible to the lowest common denominator of potential readers. They also suggest ways in which the authors could have improved the book, by looking at actual dangers and real risks of exposure instead of fear-mongering.

PhD in Parenting:
On the other hand, PIP enjoyed reading the book immensely, to the point of being legitimately frightened by it. The laud the book's use of case studies and industry stories to convey its point and explain how the chemicals are used and what their effects are. They too, however, were disappointed with the book's lack of actual scientific data; namely the small distribution, small sample size and lack of controls. Refers to the book as a "call to action" and gives it an overall high rating.

My own experience with this book so far has been forgettable. The authors spend a lot of their time fear mongering and praising their own experimental courage, while doing very little work describable as legitimate science.  The stories are interesting and nice enough, but they spend so much time trying to convince me of their point that they forget to bring up anything relevant.