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Element 82 : Saving the Planet and Ourselves from Lead Poisoning Aaron Reuben
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Element 82 : Saving the Planet and Ourselves from Lead Poisoning
Aaron Reuben
An eye-opening look at lead—its remarkable utility, devastating toxicity, and the urgent global effort to end our dependence on it. Neuropsychologist Aaron Reuben has spent his career studying the insidious effects of lead exposure. So when his young son’s behavior took a turn for the worse, Reuben suspected lead poisoning.
A blood test placed the toddler’s lead levels in the 97th percentile for children his age. Though no amount of lead is safe, with that much lead in his small body, he was at risk of developing neurological disorders and serious health problems. And yet, the results were considered within the “normal range.”For over 7,000 years, ever since humanity first molded lead to its use, we’ve ignored its dangers, adding it to pipes and paint, toys and furniture, food and fuel.
In Element 82, Reuben embarks on a captivating journey from ancient Rome and medieval monasteries to modern-day spice markets and neighborhood playgrounds to understand our hazardous relationship with lead. Durable, resistant to corrosion, and oddly sweet, lead facilitated the rise of monetary systems, enabled the invention of canned food, and continues to power the automotive industry and our electronics. Yet for all its utility, a third of children have elevated lead levels that disrupt every organ in the body while millions of animals perish each year as lead waste leeches into soil and waterways.
Fortunately, lead poisoning is a crisis we can solve. Reuben meets health officials who are expanding screening; activists working to remediate contaminated sites; and scientists developing safer alternatives and the first treatments. At once unsettling and hopeful, Element 82 exposes the damage wrought by lead—and shows how to end our dependence on it.
| Media | Books Hardcover Book (Book with hard spine and cover) |
| To be released | August 27, 2027 |
| ISBN13 | 9780674297463 |
| Publishers | Harvard University Press |
| Pages | 288 |
| Dimensions | 150 × 220 × 20 mm · 608 g (Weight (estimated)) |
