Slow Death by Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things

After reading passages from the book “Slow Death by Rubber Duck” by Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie, I realized that there are numerous, and potentially life threatening chemicals in our everyday lives to which most of us pay no attention or try to avoid.  I believe most of us can pick out the more widely talked about chemicals in our everyday lives but there are also numerous chemicals hiding in our clothes, cosmetics, and furniture all around us.  I thought it was very interesting to learn about the many things that most people believe to be “safe” when in reality those things could be causing severe damage to our bodies and health when we have no indication that it’s occurring.  My overall reaction to the passages of the book was that it was interesting and put out a powerful message to the world about the impact that these chemicals could have on everyone’s lives.  There are a lot of chemicals in household appliances, cleaners and furniture that I never realized existed and now knowing what they are capable of causing brings up concern but it really doesn’t make me want to change anything about my lifestyle.  I really don’t think there is any way to avoid most of the chemicals that are in furniture and clothing, and avoiding them would mean changing a lot about one’s lifestyle. When it comes to air and water pollution, there are ways to overcome those issues.  They might not be able to be fixed perfectly but there is a way to lessen the amount of air and water pollution we apply on the environment. 

From what I have found from many other people’s review on the book, you either like it or you don’t.  Some people gave the book five stars and others one.  From one book review off of Amazon.com, the individual gave the book two stars because he believed that the book was poorly put together.  He believed that the authors made excellent points about the products that potentially contain these harmful chemicals and that we come in contact with them on a regular basis, but that they failed to show that information in a more scientific way.  On the other side, one individual gave it five stars and said that it had very insightful information, was put together well and that all of the information was backed up by reliable research.  Another five star review stated that the authors put the book together in a way that showed how many companies tell us that these chemicals are safe and won’t do any harm to our bodies whatsoever.  This individual also explained how companies make this issue all about profit and not about safety, how they promote these products as safe even when the chemicals that they enclose could have long lasting effects on our bodies.  They also say that they agree that the increase in cancer in children and adults is linked to these chemicals that are in our everyday lifestyles.  Overall, some people enjoyed the book and others thought it was a complete waste of time.  This book has many important aspects that reflect on the harmful effects of these chemicals on our bodies but if you don’t believe what these chemicals are capable of, you might disagree and despise this book.