Living Upstream

In the scientifically persuasive and powerfully written book, Living Downstream (1998), Sandra Steingraber, a biologist, offers a literal and figurative portrayal of what it means to live downstream from agricultural, industrial, and other forms of pollution. A victim of bladder cancer whose causes were most likely environmental, Dr. Steingraber develops a convincing scientific case that our bodies are carrying a collective toxic chemical burden that threatens our health and, especially, that of our children. She describes the creation of toxic dioxins as the by-products of burning household garbage, hazardous waste, and similar industrial processes. She then presents numerous case studies and scientific descriptions of the ways in which these dioxins and other hydrocarbons are transmitted through the air, water, and soil to our bodies.