Mother Earth and Uncle Sam

Rena I. Steinzor

ISBN 10: 0292716907 / ISBN 13: 9780292716902

Published by University of Texas Press, 2007

About this Item

An assessment of the ways in which the US government has failed to protect the youngest generation from toxic exposure and harm, and what can be done to correct these failures. Num Pages: 280 pages, 4 figures, 11 tables. BIC Classification: 1KBB; JPQB; RNP. Category: (G) General (US: Trade); (P) Professional & Vocational. Dimension: 226 x 152 x 22. Weight in Grams: 511. . 2007. Illustrated. Paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780292716902

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Mother Earth and Uncle Sam
• Publisher: University of Texas Press
• Publication Date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0292716907
• ISBN 13: 9780292716902
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

In this compelling study, Rena Steinzor highlights the ways in which the government, over the past twenty years, has failed to protect children from harm caused by toxic chemicals. She believes these failures—under-funding, excessive and misguided use of cost/benefit analysis, distortion of science, and devolution of regulatory authority—have produced a situation in which harm that could be reduced or eliminated instead persists.

Steinzor states that, as a society, we are neglecting our children's health to an extent that we would find unthinkable as individual parents, primarily due to the erosion of the government's role in protecting public health and the environment. At this pace, she asserts, our children will inherit a planet under grave threat. We can arrest these developments if a critical mass of Americans become convinced that these problems are urgent and the solutions are near at hand.

By focusing on three specific case studies—mercury contamination through the human food chain, perchlorate (rocket fuel) in drinking water, and the effects of ozone (smog) on children playing outdoors—Steinzor creates an analysis grounded in law, economics, and science to prove her assertions about the existing dysfunctional system.

Steinzor then recommends a concise and realistic series of reforms that could reverse these detrimental trends and serve as a blueprint for restoring effective governmental intervention. She argues that these recommendations offer enough material to guide government officials and advocacy groups toward prompt implementation, for the sake of America's—and the world's—future generations.

About the Author

Rena I. Steinzor is the Jacob A. France Research Professor of Law at the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore.