Pesticides like ddt, dde and pcbs have an overwhelming body of evidence against them as agents of death which have dangerously contaminated the earth, underground water sources and plants and animals (including humans). She almost nails environmental pollution as a major factor in the spread of human cancers.
Steingraber's education as a biologist, her training as an ecologist, her experiences as a cancer victim and her literary skills as a writer and poet make this account immensely readable. Partly a work of research, partly creative writing Living Downstream grabs attention with its fluid prose, its contemplative tenor and forceful argument. Sandra Steingraber, poetess, ecologist (she has a PhD in biology) and a cancer victim, collects and collates data on environmental pollution and its possible links with cancer. However, when someone from the scientific community itself falls victim, and tries to muster some proof, there is a minor stir. The medical and scientific communities are a little slow to recognise the emerging trends: they wait for 'proof' for a little too long. When the 'dust, soil and air' are contaminated with carcinogens, a rise in the incidence of cancer in the human population is only inevitable. The health of its inhabitants - plants and animals, including humans - can no longer be ensured.
WHEN THE health of the Earth itself is jeopardised.
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