Christian Warren begins Brush with Death with a plain statement:
“The United States is lead poisoned.” He ends with it, too. In between is a
frightening picture of the myriad ways in which lead can enter your blood, and
the damage it can do, especially to children. Sporadic efforts are made to deal
with the situation, but sustained attention seems impossible. It is a chilling
story, with morals for other countries too. Published by Johns Hopkins
University Press, £35, ISBN 0801862892.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
The world's fastest spider tops 3.5 metres per second
2
We’re not the most successful human species
3
A type of fibre that stimulates GLP-1 release approved for use in food
4
Where, when and how to watch the 2026 solar eclipse
5
The weirdness of neutrinos could completely rewrite particle physics
6
The best new science-fiction novels published in July 2026
7
Babies are born with the neural foundations for maths
8
Have scientists really made a living cell from scratch? Not quite
9
Slowdown of AMOC ocean current may be gradual and reversible
10
Remote-controlled cockroach swarm can now breathe underwater
