Chemical Consequences: Environmental Mutagens, Scientist Activism, and the Rise of Genetic Toxicology (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780813534138)

Hereis the first historical and sociological account of the formation of an interdisciplinary science known as genetic toxicology, and of the scientists' social movement that created it.

After research geneticists discovered that synthetic chemicals were capable of changing the genetic structure of living organisms, scientists began to explore how these chemicals affected gene structure and function. In the late 1960s, a small group of biologists became concerned that chemical mutagens represented a serious and possibly global environmental threat.

Genetic toxicology is nurtured as much by public culture as by professional practices, reflecting the interplay of genetics research and environmental politics. Drawing on a wealth of resources, Scott Frickel examines the creation of this field through the lens of social movement theory. He reveals how a committed group of scientist-activists transformed chemical mutagens into environmental problems, mobilized existing research networks, recruited scientists and politicians, secured financial resources, and developed new ways of acquiring knowledge. The result is a book that vividly illustrates how science and activism were interwoven to create a discipline that remains a defining feature of environmental health science.

Author: Scott Frickel
ISBN-10: 0813534135
ISBN-13: 9780813534138
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
Language: English
Published: 06/16/2004
Pages: 197
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.78lbs
Size: 9.08h x 6.42w x 0.63d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 02/01/2005 pg. 1055
Scitech Book News 12/01/2004 pg. 87