The Blue Death: Disease, Disaster, and the Water We Drink[ THE BLUE DEATH: DISEASE, DISASTER, AND THE WATER WE DRINK ] by Morris, Robert D. (Author) Jul-31-07[ Hardcover ]

Environmental epidemiologist Morris chronicles the at times frightening story of our drinking water. He recounts the epidemics that have shaken cities and nations, the scientists who reached into the invisible and emerged with controversial truths that would save millions of lives, and the economic and political forces that opposed these researchers in a ferocious war of ideas. In the gritty world of nineteenth-century England, a physician proved that cholera could be hidden in a drop of water. In the twentieth century, burgeoning cities subdued cholera and typhoid by building massive filtration plants, and bubbling poisonous chlorine gas through their drinking water. However, in the new millennium, waterborne disease is threatening to reemerge, and research has linked chlorine treatment with cancer and stillbirths. Morris dispels notions of fail-safe water systems, revealing some shocking truths: miles of leaking water mains, constantly evolving microorganisms, and the looming threat of bioterrorism.--From publisher description COVER......Page 1 COPYRIGHT......Page 5 CONTENTS......Page 8 ILLUSTRATIONS......Page 10 PROLOGUE......Page 12 Part 1 Waterborne Killers......Page 16 1 THE BLUE DEATH......Page 18 2 SNOW ON CHOLERA......Page 36 3 ALL SMELL IS DISEASE......Page 56 4 THE EXPERIMENTUM CRUCIS......Page 72 5 THE DOCTOR, THE PRIEST, AND THE OUTBREAK AT GOLDEN SQUARE......Page 86 6 THE GREAT STINK......Page 107 Part 2 Thirsty Cities and Dirty Water......Page 120 7 THE RACE TO CHOLERA......Page 122 8 THE SCRAMBLE FOR PURE WATER......Page 147 9 THE TWO-EDGED SWORD......Page 174 10 SPRING IN MILWAUKEE......Page 189 11 THE HIDDEN SEED......Page 203 Part 3 At War with the Invisible......Page 226 12 DRINKING THE MISSISSIPPI......Page 228 13 DEATH IN ONTARIO......Page 248 14 SURVIVING THE STORM......Page 258 15 THE WORST PLACE ON EARTH......Page 268 16 THE FUTURE OF WATER: FROM E. COLI TO AL QAEDA......Page 280 EPILOGUE: STRATEGIES FOR SAFE WATER: A MODEST PROPOSAL......Page 305 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND NOTES......Page 309 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 319 Offers an alarming warning about the natural and man-made dangers that threaten our drinking water. Through personal stories, the author takes us on a journey across the globe, from the beginnings of our understanding of waterborne disease in 19th-century London, to the disturbing realities of water supplies.