Generations at Risk

Reproductive Health and the Environment

Authors: Ted Schettler MD MPH, Gina Solomon MD MPH,
Maria Valenti, Annette Huddle

August 2000, ISBN 0-262-69247-3
435 pages
13 illustrations

Available for purchase at The MIT Press   |   $24.00 (Paperback)

Generations at Risk presents compelling evidence that human exposure to some toxic chemicals can have lifelong and even intergenerational effects on human reproduction and development. The result of a collaboration involving public health professionals, physicians, environmental educators, and policy advocates, this book examines how scientific, social, economic, and political systems may fail to protect us from environmental and occupational toxicants. It is an important sourcebook for those concerned about their own health and that of their loved ones, as well as for medical and public health workers, community activists, policymakers, and industrial decision makers.

Humans and ecosystems in the United States are subject to potential exposure to more than 75,000 synthetic chemicals, most of which are poorly tested or untested for human health effects. The authors focus on classes of chemicals that people may be exposed to at work, at home, and in their communities. These include toxic metals, organic solvents, pesticides, and endocrine disruptors. In addition to providing scientific information with which to assess the health risks of many chemicals, the book provides a guide to the current regulatory system and resources for action.