Industrial Disasters, Toxic Waste, and Community Impact - by Francis O Adeola (Hardcover)

About the Book

In the post-World War II period, modern societies have developed numerous heterogeneous synthetic organic compounds released into the environment and human habitats. This book addresses the threats posed by these contaminants and other hazardous wastes to human health and the ...

Book Synopsis

In the post-World War II period, modern societies have developed numerous heterogeneous synthetic organic compounds released into the environment and human habitats. This book addresses the threats posed by these contaminants and other hazardous wastes to human health and the health of other species in the environment.

Review Quotes

Francis Adeola takes on the highly confusing topic of modern society's wastes--hazardous wastes, toxic wastes, waste production, waste disposal, waste trafficking, anthropogenic hazardous disasters, and the effects of wastes on human health and communities. He offers much needed conceptual clarity in his examination of "the dark side of modern science and technology." He describes the unique difficulties in monitoring and controlling wastes and suggests that our best hope for protecting ourselves lies at the bottom--at the grassroots, where citizens stand up for their communities.


Industrial Disasters, Toxic Waste, and Community Impact: Health Effects and Environmental Justice Struggles Around the Globe presents a balance between the United States and the International scholarly advancement of the environmental sociology literature on environmental risks. This book will be an excellent resource for environmental just scholars to add to their collection. Glenn S. Johnson, Clark Atlanta University, co-author of Environmental Health and Racial Equity in the United States: Building Environmental Just, Sustainable, and Livable Communities.

Writing primarily from a sociological perspective, Adeola (Univ. of New Orleans) addresses historical and contemporary issues related to industrial disasters. The book's scope is large, encompassing theories of industrial disasters, various types of wastes, and their sources and properties, waste-related regulations in the United States and internationally, and environmental justice. The case studies are a strength of the work; they include some of the world's best-known chemical and radiation disasters in both developed and developing countries, such as Bhopal (India), Chernobyl (Ukraine), and Koko (Nigeria), and the integration of experiences of the affected communities. Environmental sociologists may revel in the call for citizen action, but the more technical successes of waste reduction and life cycle perspective also deserve attention. Summing Up: Recommended.

About the Author

Francis O. Adeola is professor of sociology at the University of New Orleans.