Chemicals & society

This book surveys the use, abuse and misuse of chemicals in our society. The disaster at Bhopal, the use of Agent Orange and chemical warfare in the Gulf all provide sobering, if sensational, examples of the potential dangers of chemicals, whilst the invidious accumulation of a wide range of chemicals in the environment is attracting increased publicity if not informed debate. Hugh Crone redresses this balance by providing a scientific yet accessible account of the benefits and risks of the increasing use of chemicals in society, whether they are used as drugs, food additives, herbicides or simply enter the environment as by-products of an industrial society. He describes how chemicals gain entry to the body and how their toxicity is assessed; particular examples are studied in detail to illustrate the complexities of the issues involved; other chapters consider chemical warfare and disarmament, the safe handling of chemicals and the problems of legislation and compensation.