Diagnosis mercury money, politics, and poison - Hightower, Jane M. (Island Press/Shearwater Books, 2009)
Includes bibliographical references (p. 271-295) and index
The discovery -- Finding my way -- The media meets the victims -- Spreading the news -- A spoonful of mercury -- Making money with a menace -- The summit -- Feeling the heat in mercury politics -- The Canadian mercury scare -- Dr Sa'Adoun al-Tikriti -- Fishy loaves -- Fishing with the FDA for evidence in Iraq -- Fishing with the industry for evidence in Iraq -- From American Samoa to Peru -- The political realm of Seychelles versus Faroes -- The mercury study report -- Strategic errors and redundant tactics -- The canning of proposition 65 mercury warnings -- Diagnosis mercury
"When Dr. Jane Hightower walked into her exam room one morning in 2000, she wasn't expecting to become embroiled in a political firestorm. She saw a new patient who complained of nausea, fatigue, and trouble concentrating, but a battery of tests revealed no apparent cause. Then a chance encounter led to one more test, and a surprising diagnosis: mercury poisoning." "It was a revelation that would propel Dr. Hightower into the fight of her life, pitting her against powerful industries, departments of her own government, and parts of the medical establishment. It also led her to the sobering realization that the incident was far from isolated. Several of her other patients - and many others around the world - were being harmed by high levels of mercury found in certain seafood." "In Diagnosis: Mercury, Dr. Hightower retraces her investigation into the current prevalence of mercury poisoning, revealing how political calculations, dubious studies, and industry lobbyists endanger our health."--BOOK JACKET.