Rick Smith's Slow Death by Rubber Duck" is a very compelling read. Each chapter offers the history, impact/effects, and possible future of an assortment of ubiquitous chemicals that have been introduced to an unwitting public - not only in the U.S./Canada, but throughout the world. This information is delivered in a factual, yet personal manner - making it a riveting read. Smith and his co-author Bruce Lourie have used themselves as test subjects, and the reader realizes the personal investment and beliefs (backed by science) that they put forth in this cautionary story. With the memory of recent environmental disasters, the reader realizes that individuals must become informed and are responsible for the protection of themselves and their families. Smith and Lourie repeatedly indicate that the public cannot depend upon regulatory agencies to measure and monitor the long-term effects of most chemicals introduced into the environment on an annual basis. The public must demand their own protection, and some informed Canadians and Americans have done just that.

I did not read this, I only skimmed it, so I'm not going to rate it. I was considering it as a book club selection. I did not choose it for a number of reasons, but not because it does not seem like a good book. The topic seemed to be covered thoroughly and alarmingly.

I thought this book might be boring or dense, but it's actually very readable and conversational, integrating personal experiences and case sutdies, and I sped through in no time. While parts of it can be scary, the authors focus on the possibility of change, and the lists of action items at the end are very helpful. This book has already affected one of my purchases: dryer balls, which would be an "eco-friendly" fabric softening device, but they were made with PVC, which are serious off-gassers. Enviro quandary! But after Rubber Duck I left them behind.

An extraordinary exercise in converting junk science into fear mongering.

Um. We're in big trouble.

Having taken graduate courses on environmental health and risk assessment, none of the information here was especially new, but I could imagine recommending this to someone unfamiliar with the crazy world of BPA, pthalates, etc. I personally hated the quasi-science of the mini experiments they did on themselves though and did not think it added anything to the book.

I began this in the fall and put it down, intending to pick it up again. But more than 6 months have gone by and I realize that it is very unlikely that I will complete it. I love the idea and I have thought about it more than a few times. The problem is that I tend to read in the morning before work and it is a bit heavy for that relaxing part of my day. Maybe I'll continue in the summer when I have more leisure time.

I really enjoyed this book. It is getting old now, but I sure learned a lot about the chemicals we ingest every day. I will change some of the things I do to reduce my slow death by rubber duck.

I first added this to my to buy/read pile because the title was amusing, seriously death by rubber duck conjured many an entertaining image in my head, but the content is anything but. This is a disturbing, chilling, and borderline depressing insight into how modern life and the companies that run it are literally killing each and everyone of us. I work in the environmental sector so I was aware of some of these issues, even the extent of some of these issues. But I was beyond naive about how far the companies and businesses involved would go to just keep making money (and I've watched Erin Brokovitch, Dark Waters and other such films, not to mention being incredibly cynical when it comes to consumer society). I would've liked more of the science background to the work done but appreciate that this is such an important thing, series of things, that it needs to be accessible, readable and understandable to as many as possible (and it's just because I'm a science geek). This isn't junk science, fake news, or any of the other things that many would prefer to accuse it of. This is real, this is serious, and we all can and should take action to stop these things, or at the very least start asking why.