American Poison by Daniel Stone
Trailblazing doctor and public health activist Alice Hamilton took on the booming auto industry—and the deadly invention of leaded gasoline.
Dutton, 2025.
The Sustainability Book Club met on July 3 to discuss American Poison: A Deadly Invention and the Woman Who Battled for Environmental Justice by Daniel Stone. The group has previously read and enjoyed several books by this bestselling author, including The Food Explorer. This most recent title explores the history of lead, leaded gasoline and automobiles in the 1920s.
From the publisher:
”At noon on October 27, 1924, a factory worker was admitted to a hospital in New York City, suffering from hallucinations and convulsions. Before breakfast the next day, he was dead. Alice Hamilton was determined to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. By the time of the accident, Hamilton had pioneered the field of industrial medicine in the United States. She specialized in workplace safety years before the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was created. She was the first female professor at Harvard. She spent decades inspecting factories and mines. But this time, she was up against a formidable new foe: America’s relentless push for progress, regardless of the cost. The 1920s were an exciting decade. Industry was booming. Labor was flourishing. Automobiles were changing roads, cities, and nearly all parts of American life. And one day, an ambitious scientist named Thomas Midgley Jr. triumphantly found just the right chemical to ensure that this boom would continue. His discovery—tetraethyl leaded gasoline—set him up for great wealth and the sort of fame that would land his name in history books. Soon, Hamilton would be on a collision course with Midgley, fighting full force against his invention, which poisoned the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the basic structure of our brains. American Poison is the gripping story of Hamilton’s unsung battle for a healthy planet—and the ramifications that continue to echo today.”
Pick up a copy of American Poison to learn more.
The Sustainability Book Club
Join a small group of avid readers who meet monthly to engage in lively discussions focused on books about sustainability. The club meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month on Zoom. Contact us to join!
