NATURALLY DANGEROUS: Surprising Facts About Food, Health, and the Environment.
© 2001, University Science Books
To read Preface and Overture, as well as updates on the topics covered in each chapter of the book, click on the appropriate link below.
| CONTENTS | |||||
| Preface Acknowledgments Illustration Credits |
ix x xi |
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| updates Overture: Is Anything Safe? Exaggerated Health Scares and Scientific Ignorance |
1 3 |
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| updates Chapter 1. |
Chemicals Lurking in your Grocery Store |
7 |
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| Proteins and Amino Acids | 7 | ||||
| Essential amino Acids Protein diets |
9 12 |
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| Carbohydrates | 12 | ||||
| Artificial sweeteners | 15 | ||||
| Bread and Cereals Fats |
17 17 |
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| Trans fats Fat substitutes |
19 21 |
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| Chocolate Asparagus Foods Rich in Oxalate Flowers Vegemite Spices: Ancient Herbal Antibiotics Flavor Enhancers Natural Toxins in Food (Even Vegetables Can Be Dangerous) Organic Foods Is America Ready for High-Tech Dining |
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 33 |
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| Choosing between natural and genetically modified foods and medicine | 34 | ||||
| Smoked Meats and Fish Beware of Jerky (Trichinosis from Wild Game) Alcoholic Beverages |
35 36 37 |
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| updates Chapter 2. |
The Pharmacy |
45 |
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| Prescription Drugs Contraindicated Drug Combinations Antibiotics, Good News and Bad Over-the-Counter Medications Medicines and Drugs Derived from Plants |
45 49 50 53 53 |
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| Marijuana (cannabis) Opium Morphine Heroin Codeine Cocaine Synthetic narcotics Quinine Taxol |
54 55 56 56 56 56 57 58 59 |
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| updates Chapter 3. |
Is “Health Food Store” an Oxymoron? |
61 |
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| Herbal Medicines Vitamins Hormone Supplements |
61 66 76 |
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| Melatonin Steroid hormones Peptide hormones |
77 79 81 |
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| Performance-Enhancing Drugs | 83 | ||||
| updates Chapter 4. |
Infectious Agents: Are All Micro-Organisms Bad? |
87 |
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| Viruses Bacteria Fungi Algae Lesser-Known Microorganisms Mad-Cow and Related Prion Diseases |
87 93 98 98 100 102 |
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| updates Chapter 5. |
Cancer and the Environment |
107 |
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| Cancer and Risk Assessment | 107 | ||||
| The Delaney clause | 112 | ||||
| The Immune System: Jekyll and Hyde Examples of the Role of Microorganisms and the Immune System in History |
113 117 |
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| updates Chapter 6. |
Nature is Elemental |
121 |
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| Metals | 121 | ||||
| Lithium Sodium and potassium Beryllium, magnesium, and calcium Chromium Iron Cobalt Copper Zinc Aluminum Lead Mercury Thallium |
121 122 124 125 126 126 127 128 128 128 130 133 |
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| Nonmetallic Elements | 133 | ||||
| Boron Carbon Nitrogen Phosphorus Arsenic Oxygen Sulfur Selenium Fluorine Chlorine Iodine Radon |
133 133 135 140 140 142 145 145 146 148 151 153 |
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| updates Chapter 7. |
Natural and Unnatural Molecules in The Environment |
155 |
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| Perilous Natural Toxins Aphrodisiacs Pheromones Man-Made Chemicals in the Environment |
155 157 158 162 |
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| Insecticides Gasoline additives |
162 164 |
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| updates Chapter 8. |
Is the Sky Falling?? |
169 |
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| Acid Rain Global Warming and the Greenhouse Effect |
169 173 |
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| The greenhouse gases | 176 | ||||
| Water vapor Carbon dioxide Methane Freons Nitrous oxide, laughing gas |
178 178 181 182 183 |
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| Other natural causes of global warming | 183 | ||||
| The Ozone Hole | 190 | ||||
| updates Chapter 9. |
Dust, Magnets, and Scuba Diving |
195 |
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| Small Particles (Dust Can Be Dangerous) Electromagnetic Fields (Are Electric Blankets Dangerous) Sunlight |
195 198 199 |
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| Chemical photosensitivity Inherited photosensitivity |
201 203 |
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| Underwater Dangers (Scuba Diving) | 203 | ||||
| updates Chapter 10. |
We Are All Radioactive! |
209 |
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| Radiation in Nature Irradiation of Food |
215 223 |
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| Epilogue There is No Free Lunch! | 225 | ||||
| Further Reading Glossary Index |
227 239 259 |
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