The poison paradox : chemicals as friends and foes / John Timbrell.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Poisons : old art, new science -- Bodily functions : what chemicals do to us and what we do to them -- Keep taking the medicine : there are no safe drugs, only safe ways of using them -- Blood, sweat, and tears : pesticides -- First the cats died : environmental contaminants -- Natural born killers : poisonous chemicals designed by nature -- The mad hatter and a bad case of acne : industrial chemicals -- Under the sink and in the garden shed : household poisons -- Rasputin's revenge : chemicals used to kill -- Ginger Jake and Spanish oil : toxic food constituents and contaminants -- Butter yellow and Scheele's green : food additives -- A risky business : assessment of chemical hazards and risks.

"Explores the dark side of chemistry--how the chemicals that we use and that occur all around us can often be beneficial and yet under other circumstances can become poisons ... This book explores the science of poisons: the different ways in which they harm us, and how they may be counteracted. Timbrell emphasizes that poisons are part of the natural world: by understanding the science of poisons that we might encounter by accident or design, we can assess what the real risks are, and learn to live with them safely"--P. [2] of dust jacket.

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