{"product_id":"9780452274143","title":"Our Stolen Future","description":"\"A critically important book that forces us to ask new questions about the synthetic chemicals that we have spread across this earth.\"—former vice president \u003cb\u003eAl Gore\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eAn Inconvenient Truth\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eOur Stolen Future\u003c\/i\u003e examines the ways that certain synthetic chemicals interfere with hormonal messages involved in the control of growth and development, especially in the fetus.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The developing   fetus uses these natural hormonal messages, which come from both from its own   hormone system and from its mother, to guide development. They influence   virtually all of the growing individual's characteristics, from determining   its sex to controlling the numbers of toes and fingers to shaping intricate   details of brain structure. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Scientific research   over the last 50 years has revealed that this hormonal control of development   is vulnerable to disruption by synthetic chemicals. Through a variety of   mechanisms, hormone-disrupting chemicals (also known as endocrine disrupting   chemicals or endocrine disruptors) interfere with the natural messages and   alter the course of development, with potential effects on virtually all   aspects of bodily function.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eOur Stolen Future\u003c\/i\u003e explores the   scientific discovery of endocrine disruption. The investigation begins with   wildlife, as it was in animals that the first hints of widespread endocrine   disruption appeared. The book then examines a series of experiments examining   endocrine disruption of animals in the laboratory which show conclusively   that fetal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals can wreak life-long   damage. These experiments also reveal some of the biological processes by   which these chemicals have their effects, and that endocrine disruption   effects can be caused by exposure to infinitesimally small amounts of   contaminant. Moving from animals to people, \u003ci\u003eOur Stolen Future\u003c\/i\u003e summarizes   a series of well-studied examples where people have been affected by   endocrine disrupting chemicals, most notably the synthetic hormone dietheylstilbestrol (DES), to which several million women were   exposed through misguided medical attempts to manage difficult pregnancies in   the 1950s, '60s and '70s.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eOur Stolen Future\u003c\/i\u003e then asks a   broader, more difficult and more controversial set of questions. Given what   is known from wildlife and laboratory studies, and from examples of   well-studied human exposure, and given that exposure to endocrine disrupting   chemicals in the real world is widespread at levels comparable to those   sufficient to cause animal harm, what effects should health scientists be   looking for in people in general? Effects to be expected include declines in   fertility and other impacts on the reproductive system of both men and women,   impairments in disease resistance, and erosions in intelligence.","brand":"Theo Colborn","offers":[{"title":"Paperback \/ softback Trade paperback (US)","offer_id":47794172985556,"sku":"9780452274143","price":37.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1000\/9208\/files\/BNCImageAPI_b5758d59-c81d-4485-8f9f-d6c5c151f8c0.jpg?v=1776182211","url":"https:\/\/penguinshop.ca\/products\/9780452274143","provider":"Penguin Shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}