Review by Choice Review
Like all the sciences, environmental toxicology and its health applications are constantly evolving. Over the past 50 years, the field has progressed from the LD50 (median lethal dose) approach in purebred organisms (to avoid susceptibility issues) to today's emphasis on "gene-environment interaction" and toxicogenomics. Shostak (Brandeis Univ.) views this subject through sociological lenses, examining the attitudes, interactions, and processes leading to breakthroughs and regulatory decisions. The practice of science is a social process, and progress (and regress) can be understood, perhaps more clearly, when one views scientists in social contexts rather than as isolated laboratory workers. Scientific evidence is subject to dispute, and regulatory controversy and conflict often drive scientific inquiry and interpretation. The six-chapter book discusses the political aspects of toxicology, critiques of consensus, susceptibility, and the role of molecular biology in the regulation and politics of environmental health. As a social scientist building on her science education, the author provides a range of perspectives on gene-environment interaction. Exposed Science's overview of the process of environmental science and regulation will be novel for most scientists who may not see the forest while laboring in the trees. Parts are lucid, and parts mired in sociological vocabulary/jargon. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. M. Gochfeld Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
