Living Downstream: A Scientist's Personal Investigation of Cancer and the Environment [Paperback]

I like the structure of the book, the organization into chapters titled "time," "space," "war," and the like. I also like her alternating personal narrative (she is a bladder-cancer survivor, a native of Illinois, a graduate student, a researcher--we find out lots of things) with the cold hard facts and sometimes the fuzzy facts of cancer research and regulation of chemicals. The only thing that holds me back, which is why I gave it four stars, is that the book is a bit too long for my taste at almost 400 pages--I, a layperson, could have done with a bit less detail (though I understand she's covering her bases) and a bit more politics (though I understand she's being careful, not naming too many names).

The best chapter is the final one: if you come across this book and have other things to do, at least read the last chapter--most convincing is her deconstruction of the public policy of 'personal responsibility': sure, some cancers may be associated with personal lifestyle, but more important are the things we have little individual control over, such as the air we breathe, the land our kids play on, the streams we swim in. Blame, Steingraber implies/states (she's not always so outspoken), lies less with us citizens, taxpayers, cancer patients, than with the companies that manufacture products and byproducts that may be carcinegous and are simply allowed to do so until proven otherwise, and the regulators (our government, at all levels) who let them do so. Bravo--it needed to be said, and I'm glad Steingraber did it.

I say it is necessary read because it has important information all in one place. It goes through the science, and also offers rebutals against arguments that are made by industry and business. It goes through a number of studies that provide a high level understanding of the issues. It is these sections of the book that had me reading over a sentence twice and sometimes three time.

Buy the book. Read it. Read it slowly, but read it. And then talk about it with friends, family, your government representatives, industry leaders, decision makers.

For me the most shocking thing about Living Downstream is how little known it is, given the life or death issues it addresses. I had never heard of it until I attended a lecture in support of the author's new book, Having Faith: An Ecologist's Journey to Motherhood.

What Living Downstream does is explore the connections between the toxic chemicals found everywhere in our environment, and various cancers and other diseases.

Examined are various mediums of transmission: earth, air, water, fire; chemicals from vinyl chloride, to pesticides and insecticides, to PCBs--even dry cleaning fluid (PCE); and scientific evidence of their connections to cancers, immune deficiencies and reproductive problems.

Pulling all this research together is in itself a tremendous service. Science so often involves narrow fields of research with little communication between fields.

Still, though it's hardly a "light read," it is nothing like those dry science textbooks you remember.

The author is also a poet, and she uses metaphor and imagery to explain in easy terms anything unfamiliar to the non-scientist. This makes the book intelligent-user friendly and even, at times, beautiful. The personal narrative keeps it human.

However, I won't lie and say it is a "fun read." The truth is, I found it educational and even life-changing, but also deeply unsettling and even frightening.

No longer can I dismiss cancer as genetic, or easily warded off through diet and lifestyle, or see environmental cancers as the problem of those poor souls unfortunate enough to live near some toxic waste dump.

The book gave me knowledge, and yes, it's true: knowledge IS power. It gave me the motivation to buy organic, to use filtered (NOT bottled) water, to take a very serious look at any chemical I use around my home.

It also helped me understand why this is not the whole answer, that the real answer lies in taking serious steps to address the poisoning of our environment. The first and most important step, however, is awareness, which is why you should read this book.