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: us ISBN 9780312219970
Description
The worst chemical disaster ever could be happening right now. In India and Bangladesh between forty and eighty million people are at risk of consuming too much arsenic from well water that might have already caused one hundred thousand cancer cases and thousands of deaths. Many millions elsewhere in South-East Asia and South America may soon suffer a similar fate. Venomous Earth is the story of this tragedy: the geology, the biology, the politics and the history. It starts in Ancient Greece, touches down in today's North America and takes in William Morris, alchemy, farming, medicine, mining and a cosmetic that killed two popes.
Table of Contents
The Devil's Water A Natural Disaster Fool's Gold The Verdant Assassin Healing Arsenic To Frustrate The Aim Of Justice Nothing Green Met The Eye The Extraordinarily Protracted Process Fighting Arsenic
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: uk ISBN 9780333739747
Description
Venomous Earth is the compelling story of the worst chemical disaster in human history - unfolding now. It explores the geology, politics and biology of why tens thousands of people are dying, hundreds of thousands developing cancer and tens of millions of people are at risk in Bangladesh, India and beyond, from arsenic-contaminated well water. Andrew Meharg compares this scenario with that in other arsenic-rich zones of the world where drinking water is tainted, such as extensive areas of South Western USA, the Alto Plano of South America and New Zealand's volcanic regions. He details historical precedents spanning thousands of years in mining and smelting communities, and due to the widespread use of arsenic in alchemy, farming, medicine and manufacturing. His tale takes in William Morris, Paracelsus, Nero and a cosmetic that killed two popes. Finally Venomous Earth looks at how the current arsenic crisis is to be tackled and highlights new challenges to our ongoing struggle with the toxic element.
Table of Contents
The Devil's Water A Natural Disaster Fool's Gold The Verdant Assassin Healing Arsenic To Frustrate The Aim Of Justice Nothing Green Met The Eye The Extraordinarily Protracted Process Fighting Arsenic
by "Nielsen BookData"