Forty years after the publication of Rachel Carson's "Silent
Spring," this important study examines the history, industrial
uses, and harmful effects of the twelve most commonly used
organochloride chemicals. All have been fully or partially banned
by the Stockholm Protocol, an international treaty signed by about
120 countries in December 2000. Among the twelve are the dioxins
(the active ingredient in Agent Orange) and polychlorinated
byphenyls (PCBs), which are toxic in minute quantities. Johansen
pays special attention to the Inuit of the Arctic, where these
chemicals have been bio-accumulating to dangerous levels, moving up
the food chain to a degree of toxicity that some Inuit mothers are
no longer able to safely breast-feed their infants.
The polar stratospheric ozone has been devastated by emissions
of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and new scientific findings connect
global warming near the Earth's surface to significant cooling in
the stratosphere. This synergy aggravates ozone depletion because
the chemical reactions that destroy the ozone become more energetic
as temperatures drop. Synthetic toxins have taken their toll on
minority ethnic groups in the United States, and persistent organic
pollutants have inflicted physiological damage on humans and other
animals. Finally, Johansen explores the estrogenic effects of such
chemicals. Sperm counts have declined as much as 50% in 50
years.
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