Whitewash: The Story of a Weed Killer, Cancer, and the Corruption of Science

Rachel Carson Environment Book Award, First Place (2018)

IPPY Outstanding Book of the Year: Most Likely to Save the Planet (2018)

Thorpe Menn Literary Excellence Award (2018)

"Reads like a mystery novel as Gillam skillfully uncovers Monsanto's secretive strategies." --Erin Brockovich

"A damning picture...Gillam expertly covers a contentious front." --Publishers Weekly

"A must-read." --Booklist

"Hard-hitting, eye-opening narrative." --Kirkus

It's the pesticide on our dinner plates, a chemical so pervasive it's in the air we breathe, our water, our soil, and even found increasingly in our own bodies. Known as Monsanto's Roundup by consumers, and as glyphosate by scientists, the world's most popular weed killer is used everywhere from backyard gardens to golf courses to millions of acres of farmland. For decades it's been touted as safe enough to drink, but a growing body of evidence indicates just the opposite, with research tying the chemical to cancers and a host of other health threats.

In Whitewash, veteran journalist Carey Gillam uncovers one of the most controversial stories in the history of food and agriculture, exposing new evidence of corporate influence. Gillam introduces readers to farm families devastated by cancers which they believe are caused by the chemical, and to scientists whose reputations have been smeared for publishing research that contradicted business interests. Readers learn about the arm twisting of regulators who signed off on the chemical, echoing company assurances of safety even as they permitted higher residues of the pesticide in food and skipped compliance tests. And, in startling detail, Gillam reveals secret industry communications that pull back the curtain on corporate efforts to manipulate public perception.

Whitewash is more than an expos about the hazards of one chemical or even the influence of one company. It's a story of power, politics, and the deadly consequences of putting corporate interests ahead of public safety.

Author: Carey Gillam
Publisher: Island Press
Published: 10/03/2019
Pages: 328
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 8.90h x 6.00w x 0.90d
ISBN13: 9781642830422
ISBN10: 1642830429
BISAC Categories:
- Social Science | Agriculture & Food (see also Political Science | Public Poli
- Technology & Engineering | Agriculture | General
- Science | Chemistry | Toxicology

About the Author
Carey Gillam is a journalist, researcher, and writer with more than twenty-five years of experience covering corporate America. A former senior correspondent for Reuters international news service, she is currently research director for the nonprofit U.S. Right to Know.