Everyday chemicals : understanding the risks / Gerald A. LeBlanc.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"The general public has become highly sensitized to the presence of chemicals in their daily lives. Information on industrial contaminants in water, pesticides in foods, and chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products overwhelms the average person with dread that they have lost control over their own health and safety and that of their family. Unfortunately, most books on this subject, written for the lay audience, exacerbate this concern, as they present the hazards of chemicals in our environment with no consideration of whether those hazards are likely to occur under normal living conditions. That is, they present hazard with no consideration of risk. This book condenses and simplifies risk assessment procedures to arm a layperson with the knowledge and tools required to perform rational assessments of whether a chemical they're exposed to is likely to cause harm. Readers are led through the basic concepts of risk assessment using real-world examples. They are taught to use basic research--mostly internet searches--to find scientifically sound information to populate their risk assessments. Importantly, they are taught to approach this conundrum of chemicals in their environment from a rational rather than an emotional perspective"-- Provided by publisher.