Toxic Bodies/Toxic Environments: An Interdisciplinary Forum

In March 2007, the American Society for Environmental History (with funding from the National Science Foundation) brought together environmental scientists, historians of science, science studies scholars, and environmental historians to discuss the new chemical bodies of the twenty-first century. Nash sums it up best in the conclusion of her essay: "Rather than hoping that increased scientific knowledge will-like some deus ex machina- reveal the solutions to contemporary problems, we might instead insist upon the need to consider more critically the cultural models and historical assumptions that guide contemporary regulatory policy."