Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks At Cancer And The Environment

A graceful, precise delineation of the ugly marriage between synthetic chemicals in the environment and rising cancer rates, from poet/biologist Steingraber. Steingraber tracks the distribution of cancer across space, charts its trajectory through time, in an effort to pick up clues about origins and causes. And everywhere she looks are chemicals: benzene and chlordane, heptachlor and dieldrin, you name it--all have been linked to various cancers, all found heavy use in the postwar period (as herbicides and solvents, pesticides and fuel), when it was believed that chemicals would set humans free. What Steingraber achieves here is really quite stunning, a plaited tale that combines an environmental scientist's sensitivity for the land, a lucid biology of the mechanics of cancer, an exploration of the extent to which toxic chemicals have trespassed into air, water, soil, and food, and the patterns of cancer incidence that walk hand-in-hand with this environmental contamination; and the stories of her own cancer and those of her friends and family: ``In this new territory, you disrobe in front of strangers who are allowed to touch you. You submit to bodily invasions. You agree to the removal of body parts. You agree to be poisoned.'' At times the writing goes electric, as when Steingraber documents government obfuscation and the foot-dragging of industry, and readers may well find themselves in a fury: Why are these chemicals still used? Why are we exporting DDT to Mexico? How could profits be given priority over a child's life? The answer lies in the difficulty of establishing beyond doubt a cause-and-effect relationship between certain chemicals and certain cancers. But really: ``At what point does preliminary evidence of harm become definitive evidence of harm?'' It's not the first time this bleak association has been made- -remember Silent Spring?--but Steingraber's is a polished and powerful warning shot. It would be folly to ignore her. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

When in college, Steingraber had bladder cancer, and as most cancers do, it changed her life. She was struck, though, by the fact that no one who spoke of her illness asked about environmental conditions where she grew up. Tazewell County and its seat, Pekin, in central Illinois have a long, continuous history of agricultural and industrial pollution that badly contaminated the Illinois River, the surrounding farmland, and the major aquifer. This book is not a screeching tirade. It is the account of a young woman who has a deep feeling for the land and its crops. Her descriptions of soybean and corn fields throughout the year show an imaginative and deep appreciation for growing plants. The book also contains much information not easily available elsewhere, a series of tight and logical arguments, a large number of pointed, fair, thought-provoking questions, and 63 pages of references and notes documenting the text and directing the curious to sources for further examination. William Beatty

In this "scientific narrative" on the environmental causes of cancer, biologist Steingraber weaves a compelling story that blends personal experience (her friend Jeannie died of a rare cancer of the spinal cord; she herself is a victim of bladder cancer), with a passion for scientific detail. She examines cancer registry data, the rise of the West's petrochemical-based economy, and the effects of substances such as DDT, dioxins, and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals on human health and ecosystems. Steingraber uses data and stories from her native state of Illinois to illustrate the overuse of incineration as a treatment technology for the "reduction" of hazardous waste and the misuse and misapplication of pesticides. She asks "why so much silence still surrounds questions about cancer's connection to the environment, and why so much scientific inquiry into this issue is still considered preliminary." This question is critical to Steingraber's argument; at least 60 different occupations have elevated death rates from cancer. While not easy reading, her work is a powerful addition to the literature on cancer's relationship to environmental exposure. Strongly recommended.?Susan Mart, Univ. of Colorado Lib., Denver
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.