In Our Backyard: A Guide to Understanding Pollution and Its Effects

Most attempts to control pollution have been piecemeal, focusing on one environmental component at a time, such as air or water, and have not addressed the big picture. Such efforts have not fully accounted for the Earth’s fundamental interconnectedness and unity; as a result, pollution control has often lagged behind pollution-related problems. This book puts all the pieces together as it explains how pollution affects all components of the environment. Using layperson’s language and an easy-to-use question and answer format, it describes: how the components of the environment operate together; major sources of pollution; and what we can do to clean up our surface water, groundwater, and air. Care has been taken to avoid bias and to present only the most sound, objective data available. Nearly 500 questions are formulated and answered, covering topics such as:

• The environmental effects of our dependence on coal, oil, and uranium for energy
• Pesticides—their effects on the environment and human health
• Indoor air pollution and household pollutants, including lead and asbestos
• Waste management, including hazardous, industrial, municipal, medical, and radioactive waste

With environmental concerns becoming more urgent, In Our Backyard is essential reading for public policymakers, environmental activists, journalists, corporate officers, lawyers, engineers, and all other citizens concerned about the health of our planet.