{"product_id":"book-ctnc","title":"A Terrible Thing to Waste","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA \"powerful and indispensable\" look at the devastating consequences of environmental racism (Gerald Markowitz) - and what we can do to \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eremedy its toxic effects on marginalized communities.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eDid you know…\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eMiddle-class African American households with incomes between $50,000 and $60,000 live in neighborhoods that are more polluted than those of very poor white households with incomes below $10,000.\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eWhen swallowed, a lead-paint chip no larger than a fingernail can send a toddler into a coma - one-tenth of that amount will lower his IQ.\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003eNearly two of every five African American homes in Baltimore are plagued by lead-based paint. Almost all of the 37,500 Baltimore children who suffered lead poisoning between 2003 and 2015 were African American.\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eFrom injuries caused by lead poisoning to the devastating effects of atmospheric pollution, infectious disease, and industrial waste, Americans of color are harmed by environmental hazards in staggeringly disproportionate numbers. This systemic onslaught of toxic exposure and institutional negligence causes irreparable physical harm to millions of people across the country-cutting lives tragically short and needlessly burdening our health care system. But these deadly environments create another insidious and often overlooked consequence: robbing communities of color, and America as a whole, of intellectual power.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eThe 1994 publication of \u003ci\u003eThe Bell Curve\u003c\/i\u003e and its controversial thesis catapulted the topic of genetic racial differences in IQ to the forefront of a renewed and heated debate. Now, in \u003ci\u003eA Terrible Thing to Waste\u003c\/i\u003e, award-winning science writer Harriet A. Washington adds her incisive analysis to the fray, arguing that IQ is a biased and flawed metric, but that it is useful for tracking cognitive damage. She takes apart the spurious notion of intelligence as an inherited trait, using copious data that instead point to a different cause of the reported African American-white IQ gap: environmental racism - a confluence of racism and other institutional factors that relegate marginalized communities to living and working near sites of toxic waste, pollution, and insufficient sanitation services. She investigates heavy metals, neurotoxins, deficient prenatal care, bad nutrition, and even pathogens as chief agents influencing intelligence to explain why communities of color are disproportionately affected - and what can be done to remedy this devastating problem.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eFeaturing extensive scientific research and Washington's sharp, lively reporting, \u003ci\u003eA Terrible Thing to Waste\u003c\/i\u003e is sure to outrage, transform the conversation, and inspire debate.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Book Group","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49349154373936,"sku":"BDctnc","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audio CD","offer_id":49349154406704,"sku":"ZEctnc","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/ctnc-Square-cover.jpg?v=1776614680","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-ctnc","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}