Product Chemistry

Each day, headlines warn that baby bottles are leaching dangerous chemicals, nonstick pans are causing infertility, and plastic containers are making us fat. What if green chemistry could change all that? What if rather than toxics, our economy ran on harmless, environmentally-friendly materials? Elizabeth Grossman, an acclaimed journalist who brought national attention to the contaminants hidden in computers and other high tech electronics, now tackles the hazards of ordinary consumer products.

The Wonders of Radium by Maynard Shipley is a captivating scientific exploration of one of the most fascinating discoveries of the early 20th century. Written in a time of scientific revolution, this work explains the origin, nature, and wide-ranging applications of radium, a radioactive element famously discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie. Shipley skillfully translates complex scientific principles into accessible language, detailing radium's powerful effects—from revolutionizing medical treatments, such as early cancer therapies, to its curious industrial and agricultural uses.

Of all the dietary and nutritional claims pitched to us, what can we believe? How does cinnamon affect your health? How splendid is Splenda? Should you buy farmed, wild, or canned food? What's fishy about fish-oil supplements? Will a diet of Twinkies and M&M's lead to weight loss? Water from a tap or from a plastic bottle - which should you choose, and which is better for the environment? Should you carry your groceries home in plastic or brown paper? We all have questions, and Dr. Joe Schwarcz has the answers, some of which will astonish you.