While we may know deep in our hearts and our guts that toxic chemicals threaten the fabric of our environment’s inhabitants (trees, grasses, insects, fish, coral, birds, mammals and too many others to address), we don’t always understand how they affect us. What are their actions? Additionally, we are only recently realizing the dangers and risks of long-term exposure to small doses of hazardous chemicals, especially on young, developing children. For most of us, even if we locate books that explain these, we lack the technological background to understand the information as presented, until now.

Steven G. Gilbert’s book, A Small Dose of Toxicology: The Health Effects of Common Chemicals, is a user-friendly book, one that most of us will understand. This book won’t be found on the bookshelves of most stores. It has the appearance of a textbook, and as such students of toxicology will benefit from the content, but so will high school and college students exploring this field for the first time. The book grew out of a study that examined low levels of exposure of lead and mercury on developing infants. In the early research it was documented that low levels could harm the developing nervous system thus affecting quality of life.

His efforts continued to explore other substances found in our everyday lives. His goal, “I hope you find this book a useful tool for exploring toxicology, that it provides you with insight into your everyday choices, and that it adds to the foundation and power of your individual decision-making.”

Dr. Gilbert is the Director of the Institute of Neurotoxicology and Neurological Disorders and an Affiliate Associate Professor at the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Services at the University of Washington. His book has received commendations from the British Medical Association's library book competition. His credentials seem lofty, but his book is understandable.

This 266-page book is divided into three parts, which are followed by a glossary, abbreviations, and index. These follow an introduction of toxicology in our everyday life and principles of toxicology.

Part One identifies and explains 12 types of toxic agents: alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, pesticide, lead, mercury, arsenic, metals, solvents, radiation, animal and plant toxins and persistent environmental contaminants. Part Two looks at the targets of toxic agents: neurotoxicology, cancer and genetic toxicology, and pregnancy and developmental toxicology. Part Three examines applied toxicology: toxins in the home, risk assessment, and risk management.

Toxic Agents
Toxic agent descriptions provide a Dossier, case studies, introduction and history, biological properties, health effects, exposure reduction strategies, regulatory standards, recommendations and conclusions, and lots of insight and valuable resources. As much as I hate to admit it, caffeine is a toxic agent.

While we think we are knowledgeable about mercury, did you know that consequences of methyl mercury exposure were observed in the late 1950s? “Initially, early signs of uncoordinated movement and numbness around the lips and extremities, followed by constriction in visual fields in fishermen and their families, baffled health experts. ”

Tables, charts, diagrams, and text boxes make this an easy to use book. For those who want more information, highly valuable resources and web links are provided. Links might include government, non-government, and not-for-profit organizations as well as slide presentations, books, and/or videos.

The animal and plant toxins describe naturally occurring protective chemicals found in nature and how they interact with humans. We all know that poison ivy can cause allergic dermatitis but did you also know that cashew, daffodil bulbs, and philodendron could cause itchy skin? We don’t react to these plants on the first contact, but we certainly can following that initial sensitization. Allergens are located on the outer cells of the plants, but some plants, like nettles, have fine tubes that contain histamine, acetylcholine, and serotonin. That’s what causes the stinging sensation.

Targets of Toxic Agents
Neurotoxicity is “an adverse change in the chemistry, structure or function of the nervous system following exposure to a chemical or physical agent.” This exposure might occur voluntarily (alcohol, nicotine, caffeine) or involuntarily (environmental contaminants). They can affect our motor, sensory, cognitive, mood and personality functions. They can definitely be cumulative over time causing permanent, irreversible damage to developing nervous systems “robbing a child of their genetic potentials.” Helpful diagrams and charts introduce this process.

What’s in Our Homes?
Dr. Gilbert identifies common toxins in the home, the routes of exposure (ingestion, inhalation, and skin/eye contact), clarifies acute and chronic exposure terminology, and briefly describes risks and risk reduction options.

Can this book scare readers? Probably, or at least raise your awareness and provide options.. In my assessment, this book is written to provide information and to help readers become better informed about some of the every day threats. It is so easy to accept the fact that mercury is in our life, to look at some of these chemicals and simply say that we can live with a limited amount of exposure to them. Some, including mercury, seem to have an acceptable dose. For example, don’t eat more than a half can of tuna a day. But, in reading this, you will realize that long-term exposures on a regular basis will harm. If you are concerned about the chemical exposure in your life, or you want a better understanding of discussions in current news, look for A Small Dose of Toxicology. At $40 this might seem expensive, but in the long run this handbook might provide substantial health savings.


Recommended: Yes