In Our Backyard: A Guide to Understanding Pollution and Its Effects

This is a welcome answer to the public's desire to know about the environment. Without taking sides, it addresses vital questions on everything from drinking water quality to the cost of toxic controls and cleanups. The information is up-to-date and complete, and the format is designed to be accessible. A question-and-answer format is employed for clarity and compactness, and topics are covered in a rising progression of complexity. 6 x 9.

Most attempts to control pollution have been piecemeal, focusing on one environmental component at a time, such as air or water, and have not addressed the big picture. Such efforts have not fully accounted for the Earth’s fundamental interconnectedness and unity; as a result, pollution control has often lagged behind pollution-related problems. This book puts all the pieces together as it explains how pollution affects all components of the environment. Using layperson’s language and an easy-to-use question and answer format, it describes: how the components of the environment operate together; major sources of pollution; and what we can do to clean up our surface water, groundwater, and air. Care has been taken to avoid bias and to present only the most sound, objective data available. Nearly 500 questions are formulated and answered, covering topics such as:

• The environmental effects of our dependence on coal, oil, and uranium for energy
• Pesticides—their effects on the environment and human health
• Indoor air pollution and household pollutants, including lead and asbestos
• Waste management, including hazardous, industrial, municipal, medical, and radioactive waste

With environmental concerns becoming more urgent, In Our Backyard is essential reading for public policymakers, environmental activists, journalists, corporate officers, lawyers, engineers, and all other citizens concerned about the health of our planet.