BLUE DEATH - Softcover

Morris, Robert

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060730900 ISBN 13: 9780060730901

Publisher: Perennial, 2008

Synopsis

During a devastating nineteenth-century cholera outbreak, English physician John Snow proved that the deadly disease could hide in a drop of water. In the twentieth century, burgeoning cities would subdue cholera and typhoid by building massive filtration plants and bubbling poisonous gas through their drinking water. But in the new millennium, the demon of waterborne disease is threatening to reemerge, and the results could be catastrophic.

In this fascinating, sobering account, Dr. Robert Morris depicts the epidemics that have shaken nations, celebrates the scientists who reached into the invisible and ultimately saved millions of lives, and sounds a timely warning we dare not ignore about the natural and man-made hazards present in the water we drink.

About this title

About the Author:

Dr. Robert D. Morris is an internationally recognized expert in the field of drinking water and health. His work has been featured throughout the media, including Dateline NBC, the New York Times, the BBC, and The Times of London. He lives in Seattle, Washington.

From Publishers Weekly:

In this engrossing and disquieting book, the author, who specializes in drinking water epidemiology, raises the alarm about hidden perils in our water. He traces the history of the search for water-borne pathogens from the mid-19th century, when doctors discovered the bacterium that causes cholera (the blue death), to the 20th century, when it was found that chlorination and filtration would block many of the organisms responsible for diseases such as typhoid fever, dysentery and cholera. But today, our water supply is far from safe. Some pathogens elude conventional filters; others are resistant to chlorine; and chlorinated drinking water may increase the risk of certain cancers. Climate change, emerging diseases, toxic chemicals, decaying pipes and terrorism also threaten our water. To dramatize his thesis, Morris describes devastating outbreaks of gastrointestinal disease, such as the one caused by a parasite in Milwaukee's drinking water that sickened 400,000 people in 1993. During the 19th century, doctors had to overcome opposition from those who refused to believe that diseases could be waterborne. Now, epidemiologists and researchers who advocate for tighter controls on drinking water must battle drinking water industry lobbyists who resist regulatory efforts. Morris argues persuasively that unless we do more to protect the water we drink, we court disaster.
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About this edition

• Publisher: Perennial
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0060730900
• ISBN 13: 9780060730901
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320