New household cleaners may make blood hard to find at crime scenes.

Why some mushrooms are like the sun

In this powerful investigative work, the Shabecoffs tell the stories of communities from Dickson, Tenn., to Pittsfield, Mass., where chemicals have seeped into water, air and bodies—debilitating children and leaving parents searching for answers. The authors capture community efforts to connect clusters of disease to chemicals—including TCE, phthalates, chromium 5 and Teflon—and illuminate the underlying policy reasons for gaps in governmental oversight. Written in highly readable prose, the book critically examines why some of these chemicals have not been regulated in America and enu...