More Talk Radio on 06/13/11

Science writer Susan Freinkel talks about her book PLASTIC: A Toxic Love Story. 

In PLASTIC, Susan traces the history of the substance, and our pervasive use of it. She writes about the good uses of plastic (IV bags, heart monitors, design concepts, etc) and the bad aspects (health concerns, danger to animals, etc). She follows the history of plastic through eight household items including the comb, credit card, and soda bottle. She visited factories in China, where women toil 60-hour weeks for $175 a month to make Frisbees. She also visited preemie wards, where the lifesaving vinyl tubes that deliver food and oxygen to premature babies may cause altered thyroid function, allergies, and liver problems later in life.

http://susanfreinkel.com