Environmental-Health Books

Productivity Improvement Muda

Although this book has valuable information regarding traditional time and motion techniques, it does a poor job of addressing the lean manufacturing aspect. In today's dynamic manufacturing environment, the Industrial Engineer is forever pressed to increase throughput and reduce inventories rather than study time standards in infinite detail. Given these constraints, the fusion of more contemporary lean manufacturing techniques with traditional time and motion studies was severely lacking in this textbook.

As time has progressed, manufacturing professionals have become more detail oriented due to the competition within the industry and also due to the high costs of production. With the concept of lean manufacturing being continuously improved, manufacturing will have a high % of efficiency. My goal is to see manufacturing processes have a 100% efficiency. This is a good book to use in undersstanding the big picture of lean manufacturing.

Good explanation of traditional work measurement techniques and does discuss their application to support the "trendy" lean manufacturing techniques. As such, will help practioners of lean techniques to use a sound engineered/quantified approach. At times, seems like a commercial for author's consulting business. Page paper quality, photocopy pictures and illustrations are not professional quality. Price is questionable given printing quality.

It's a great little reference book that you will refer back to again and again. In one or two pages, each topic gives background information, some interesting facts and figures, a list of the promised "Simple Things You Can Do" and, in some cases, a list of additional reference material. Many of the suggested simple things are not only easy to live with, but can save you money, too.

If everyone could do even 5 of the 50 things mentioned in this book, the world would be a lot better off for it.

(Suggestion for parents - buy the book and share it with your children)

I read through this book as a child and it impacted me greatly. Ever since then, I've looked for simple ways to change my habits and routines so as to impact the environment less.

This book is great to instill a mindset that what we do as individuals really does effect the environment. And I do care about the environment. So much so that this book bugs me because some of the things it says are incorrect. The errors have kept me from lending it out. For eg. Page 27 lists 'titanium dioxide' as a harmful heavy metal. Then why is that chemical on the ingredients list of white powdered doughnuts? P46 Claims Elephants may be extinct by the year 2000. P48 States that your toilet takes 5-7 gallons per flush! My oldest is a 1953 commode that takes 3 gallons. It is an interesting fact that toilets can make up 40% of your water usage. But where do they get 5-7 gallons?! P66 "The smallest drip from a leaky faucet can waste over 50 gallons a day." I have had 'the smallest drips' that I put containers under until they could be repaired. I never needed a 55 gallon drum!! You get the idea. The book ruins its credibility with exaggeration and overstatement. Its a shame. It is a useful concept.

I was very disappointed in this book. It was very technical and not in laymans language. I had difficulty just reading from front to back. Talked doctor language and mentioned cells and the different kinds, etc. It not very interesting and it did not grab my attention. I purchased 2 other books that costed [less]that were much better. The price on this book is much to high for what you are getting. I cannot recommend this book especially the high price you pay for it.

A well-researched, intensive look at the causes of autoimmune diseases, and the mechanisms that cause these confusing conditions. Elaine Moore continues in the tradition of her excellent book on Graves' disease to branch out to the broader topic of autoimmunity, and brings her insightful analysis to the issue. An excellent book for patients and practitioners who want to understand more about this complex family of conditions.

When I was diagnosed with lupus I didn't have a clue what was going on with my body. Elaine Moore has made a tough subject easy reading. I learned much more from this book than from the 5 doctors I've consulted. Her brilliant use of metaphor, comparing the immune system to a sand castle, really got me thinking about all the things I was doing that were making my condition worse. Within one week of avoiding aspartame and foods contaminated with mercury, I've become 100% better. Everyone with an autoimmune disorder needs to read this book.

Brodeur is a powerful writer, and his book launched a series of investigations of possible effects of magnetic fields from power lines. In the last couple of years, the verdict is in: power lines do not have a detectable health effect. Brodeur was wrong. Brodeur caused authorities in several countries to waste enormous amounts of money: estimates range from hundreds of millions of dollars to the billions. He's a scaremonger. John W. Farley Professor of Physics University of Nevada, Las Vegas

The verdit is far from "in" on Brodeur's subject. Indeed, recent (1998) studies reveal that he is quite right on numerous counts. Anyone that remotely cares about this subject should read Brodeur's books.

I found this book possibly the most provocative reading ever. I did extensive research to validate Mr. Brodeur's claims and am forever in his debt for bringing to light the hazards of the power line industry. Despite the pundits, the research is there to support Brodeur's exposé. I can't recommend this book enough to ANYONE who cares about their health, and that's all of us with a brain.

I found this book to be filled with great ideas for greener living. Alot are just little things most Americans look over. The book tell you how to make cleaners for your home without using store bought chemicals (Saves tons of money). If you are just starting to live a green life than this is the foundation.

If one has never been exposed to green living then this may be the book for you. I found information in this book to be quite basic, quite elementary, in fact, alot of it was plain common sense. The book was hard for me to read through (not a good writing style match for me), but I attempted to because I wanted to find some information I could use. Would not recommend this book for anyone who have had any exposure to green living.

It features the most current innovations in ecologically sustainable living. This book assumes you want to live the ideal eco-responsible lifestyle and the direct tone is unforgiving. But it's good to have an ideal to strive for so that anything you do is an improvement. Each chapter is easy to read and filled with consciousness-raising facts about waste and pollution with lots of tips and suggestions. There is even a chapter on seasonal eating complete with recipes. As the title suggests, Green Living is, above all, a practical how-to guide that tells you what, why, how, and where. When is left up to you.

As a "hot shot" family I was excited to find the book to read to our daughter about her daddy when he's gone fighting fire. This book is a joke. Not only is it not based on fact. It actually has firefighters deploying fire shelter as though it is an everyday occurence. The writer should be ashamed of this book. Horrible verse, horrible story! Don't waste your money!

Written and illustrated by Chris L. Demarest, Hotshots! is a simple and engaging picturebook for beginning readers about "hotshots" - elite firefighters who are trained to brave wildfires and dig trenches to limit the destruction of land and wildlife. Unforgettable and dramatic full-color illustrations fill the pages of this simple yet memorable story about those amazing men and women who risk their lives to protect land, animals, and people from the ravages of forest fires.

This one describes those elite crews we hear about all summer battling wildland fires. Simple, yet illustrative text that complements the bold, large as life illustrations. Accurately depicts the work of the Hotshots. If your kids love firefighters as mine do they will love this book.

This book is the current Best of Class within ISO 14000 literature. It is the next step in a progression from theory to practice. It describes individual sections of the ISO 14001 standard, explains the meaning in an integrated context, and demonstrates application through a fictitious company that is introduced early precisely for this purpose, Those who seek knowledge about ISO 14001 may select from a variety of excellent texts. Those who would apply it in the real world should buy this book first.

It looks like ISO 14001 requirements + ISO 14001 comments + a few words of own opinion + some procedures from imaginary company (It seems they have never been at work). So If you have visited any ISO 14001 course, you don't need this book.

This authors have produced a book which should be helpful not only to the new ISO 14001 practitioner, but also to those who have years experience. The book provide ideas on how to develop an EMS which is not complicated, with examples of easy to read procedures for the core documentation of an EMS. The included GAP Analysis questions shall provide direction to those implementing their first/own EMS. Recommend reading for all.

The book might be more interesting to Australians than to this american. The author decided they would live for 6 months without spending a dollar (except for insurance, taxes, medical expenses, etc.), and they managed to do it by bartering produce for toilet paper and other necessities. They fueled their motivation for such a great sacrifice by promising themselves a spending spree at the end of the six months. The backbone of the book is a daily diary which frequently complains of copious sweating and supplies blow-by-blow descriptions of arguments or the details of stopping to play a game with her son. It is laced with information such as how to read a water meter in Australia, how many litres of water it takes to produce various cotton articles, the nutritional value of snails. There are occasional recipes sprinkled in, references to inexperienced gardening practices, vague references to being off the water, but no explanation of how they processed their own water. Or at least not in the part I read. I decided it wasn't worth wading through it hoping to find out something useful. There are pretty color pictures in the middle that are inspiring, but I found the account to be discouraging. Her comments that the rats in the garden weren't as bad as the brown snakes that they attracted, or the tale of lighting incense to get rid of the smell of the rat that died in their walls, just didn't enthuse me a lot for backyard gardening.

This is a fantastic read, could not put it down. The way the author expresses the issues and facts and incorporates them in the way they have chosen to live their life is inspiring. If you have any interest in the planet, you will find information in this book fascinating. Each person can adapt different elements into their life, big and small.

Oh and did I mention it has humorous bits where you will find yourself belly laughing...

Buy the book, you will not regret it.

I Loved this book. Its a very realistic look at the good life. A very good read as well as an inspiration. They set their rules and mostly stuck to it. A very good illustration of what can be achieved by real people in real life. If you have an interest is self sufficiency, downshifting or simplifying your life, this is a great read.

After many years of research, the authors try to prove that our environment is cleaner now than it was twenty years ago. That's welcome new to Al Gore and to all of us who have sentitive noses (and throats -- what pesticides attack first in my body) and allergies. This town I call home is one of the most pollutted places you could find. A few times, when Spring gets here and my allergies have reached their peak (and I'm sure I'm at death's door), I declare that I am alleergic to this town I use to love.

Pesticides are my major enemy, not the lawn chemicals, but the strong indoor kinds which were forced on me despite doctors' letters backing up my allergic reactions. I have ended up in the hospital emergency rooms due to being severely poisoned. So has Star, my cat of many years, had to have treatment at the vet. clinic.

Toxic mold is another thing which slaps me in the face as soon as I enter a contaminated area. I was the first to detect it in the Tennessee Theatre before it was renovated, and at Oak Ridge High School auditorium. Both have gone through intensive mold-removing process. You'll be glad to know that foam insulation in attics is now dry enough to make it safe for the installer and inhabitantsof the house. This used to be a major health scare, and I was concerned when John L. did his own insulation this year. I was shocked to know he stayed home long enough for repair work in a stone house, notoriously damp with killer wet basements, hard on books.

To kill germs in polluted rivers which supply our water, the utility companies expose us to dangerous chemicals which kill germs. But, if you consume this "treated" water, it can harm your bodies on the inside. Even
cooking or boiling does not extract the danger from too many chemicals. My biggest challenge right now is toting "spring water" from the stores to my new abode for coffee, cooking, drinking, etc. Even the instructions which came with my new coffeemaker demanded bottled water to be used in the appliance.

When I moved, I left the cleaning to people who get paid to use toxic chemicals. I gave up my deposit as I had purposely been poisoned enough by the management. Cleaning products is a large hidded risk and should never be combined; they are strong enough alone to kill an ox. Rug cleaners and dry-cleaning products cause cancer in mice. They kept Star sick, so now they have my money to replace the carpet. Lead in paint is fatal to infants and can cause birth defects in newborns.

Asbestos is a killer! One of our major business on Gay Street is so full of this toxin, the developer leaves it setting empty. I've tried to interest the mayor into letting us use it as a bus center to get in out of the elements. It's not like we'd be living there. There is some kind of work taking place outside that building now that the Mayor has admitted he was wrong in selecting the bus site on property owned by someone who wants to keep it intact. I stayed sick for months and developed stomach ulcers when I tried to eat the Meals on Wheels because of the food additives which made the oft inedible and stinky. The meals contain preservatives as they are processed in advance and stored. By the time they reach their destination, the bread in mine even was moldy, Several years ago, my residence was a cold, cinder-block "house" under a huge electric transforer (we have those in abundance in the Tennessee Valley as TVA is based here). I was dying, I thought, and six months in a small rural town brought me back to life and ready to take on the big hometown again. Any question about poisons from chloroform, arsenic, the silent killer (radon and natural gas), environmental (real or overblown) and household items are explained in this useful reference book.

This book attempts to be thoroughly comprehensive but ultimately fails because often some vital information is missing. I believe that health books which really empower are ones which give real, useable answers, not vague outlines. For instance, Mr Null does not tell me where to get the vital allergy tests done, what they cost, what they involve or which laboratorys/methods he recommends. He refers to these tests numerous times as providing part of the answer, but I am left feeling that I have a vague idea of the problem, but a wholly inadequate idea of the solution. Mr Null is NOT an allergy expert and it shows. The book is not completely useless, but my advice is to look elsewhere for help.

I read the book a few years ago and one of the things that amazed me was the tendancy for people to develop allergies w/o a family history of it. For example:

High Fructose Corn syrup is a derivative of corn.... used to sweeten reconstituted fruit which thru manufacturing processes lost it's sweetness. Many people develop an allergy to corn because upon consumption releases endorphines and causes emotional feelings that need to be constantly fed... in other words an addiction, hence the obesity factor.

Person eats food w/ corn syrup. Person experiences a high associated w/ endorphines. Person comes down off high and experiences anxiety. Person, ON A SUBLIMINAL BASIS, continues to consume food w/ corn syrup thus the obesity factor and thus the impossibility for many to lose weight.

There are also examples of people who are alcoholic because of the same reason. Incredible.
It's in there w/ complete studies. Doctors don't acknowledge it because they make too much money on treatments of overweight people and so does the pill industry. It's there just read it.

Don't believe me? Read this book.

As science on the topic of long-term effects of nukes continues to come in, Graeub has only been vindicated. The facts are there: low-level radiation devastates the environment. It's no accident cancer rates have shot up since the first A-bomb tests: that's neither "dogma" nor "hysteria": it's fact. And it's something the huge, and well-financed, nuclear energy industry would like you to forget.

The book is very informative and slams the government and WHO for lack of forsight on what could be the major cause of all cancer deaths. A must read for anyone who lives on this planet!

If you already fear nuclear power and know nothing about it, and wish to have your fears feed by both misleading statistics and paranoid dogma this book is for you, If on the otherhand you actually wish to read a factual book on nuclear power don't read this one.