ALA Booklist (Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2019)

This title focuses on four areas of environmental chemistry: heavy metals, pesticides, fuel and energy, and nuclear energy. Each section describes some of the pollutants in each subject area that have a negative impact on human beings and the environment. After a thorough discussion of the pollutants, illustrated with current events such as the Flint water crisis or the Fukushima nuclear reactor disaster, each section closes with suggestions for the reader. The narrow range of pollutants allows for greater depth in the discussion. Sidebar stories amplify the topics, adding an additional dimension. Emphasis is given to scientists and activists working on greener solutions. Photographs, charts, and diagrams amply supplement the text, and there are plenty of source notes, a detailed glossary, and resources providing further information. The layout is crisp and clear, and the writing is lucid and very accessible. The book is more suitable for supporting school work rather than casual reading and would be a worthwhile addition to public or middle- and high-school libraries.

Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

Zimmer explains how chemical pollutants such as heavy metals and pesticides, as well as fossil and nuclear fuels, affect human and environmental health. Case studies include prominent events like Chernobyl and the Flint water crisis. Each chapter ends with a "What You Can Do" section encouraging readers to learn more and take action. Photographs and scientific diagrams are found throughout. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind.

Kirkus Reviews

This is a solutions-driven survey of the greatest threats to our increasingly toxic planet.While covering just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, this overview of environmental chemistry touches on topics ranging from CO2 emissions and pesticides to nuclear fission. It at times delves into scientific details—such as the subatomic breakdown of the elements—and this information is presented in a way that is generally friendly to its intended young adult audience. Zimmer (Lighting up the Brain, 2018, etc.), a professor of chemistry, includes numerous anecdotes that make for compelling reading, for example, relating how Marie Curie's notebooks are so radioactive that to this day they have to be stored in lead-lined boxes. Included in every chapter are up-to-date events such as the environmental and human injustice of the Flint water crisis. With the litany of hazards explored, it would be easy to feel hopeless, but Zimmer ends each chapter with the heading, "What Can You Do?" These sections provide advice for achievable lifestyle changes as simple as bringing your own reusable bags to the market. Also woven throughout are viable solutions that have already been implemented, such as the Sono arsenic filtration system being used in Bangladesh. Despite the dire subject matter, this slim, amply illustrated book is engaging and even uplifting. Terrific for classroom use.Environmental chemistry that is eminently readable and hopeful. (source notes, glossary, further information, index) (Nonfiction. 12-15)