Review How could a class of chemicals as dangerous to health and limited in usefulness as flame retardants have become as widespread as they have? How could scientists, advocates, legislators, firefighters, and others mount an effective campaign to curb their use? Toxic Safety tells this story with great finesse, while setting the bar for research on chemical controversy. Cordner's notion of 'strategic science translation' and her elaboration of multiple approaches to risk will be standards for future environmental and public health scholars.--Phil Brown, author of Toxic Exposures: Contested Illnesses and the Environmental Health MovementThe flame retardant controversy serves as a fascinating case study of how scientific policies are made. Toxic Safety is a well-researched, well-organized, and well-written real-life example of how science contributes to policy.--Julie Herbstman, Columbia UniversityToxic Safety makes an important contribution to questions about how we regulate environmental chemicals and how stakeholders shape this process. The book will be of interest to a range of readers, including environmental sociologists, public health advocates, and those interested in the politics of flame retardants and environmental health. It could usefully be assigned in advanced undergraduate courses and graduate seminars that address environmental politics.--Rachel Washburn "Medical Anthropology Quarterly "An important, well-documented, and well-told account. Recommended.--CHOICEToxic Safety is expansive and detailed; it is well written, and the story is told with clarity and conviction; and it sheds considerable light on the history of the flame retardant industry and the conflicting interests surrounding the use and regulation of flame retardant chemicals, as well as the limitations of science in environmental policymaking. This is an essential book for environmental sociologists interested in risk and environmental policy.--R. Scott Frey "Contemporary Sociology "Toxic Safety is an excellent contribution to environmental and medical social science, and it will be of interest to scholars in sociology, anthropology, and environmental studies. It is also and important resource for activists involved in civic movements for environmental health and environmental justice and for anyone motivated to build a society free of toxic substances.--American Journal of SociologyToxic Safety is an excellent contribution to environmental and medical social science, and it will be of interest to scholars in sociology, anthropology, and environmental studies. It is also an important resource for activists involved in civic movements for environmental health and environmental justice and for anyone motivated to build a society free of toxic substances.--Peter C. Little "American Journal of Sociology " About the Author Alissa Cordner is assistant professor of sociology at Whitman College and coauthor (with Gianpaolo Baiocchi, Elizabeth A. Bennett, Peter Klein, and Stephanie Savell) of The Civic Imagination: Making a Difference in American Political Life (2014).
Trustpilot
1 week ago
2 months ago
