U.S. Edition (Hardcover)

Toxin Toxout

  • Language:
    Publisher:
  • English (United States)
    St. Martin's Press
  • English (Canada)
    Random House
  • English (ANZ)
    University of Queensland Press
About Toxin Toxout:

How do I get this stuff out of me?

Bruce Lourie and Rick Smith, two of North America’s environmental leaders, have been asked this question on an almost daily basis since the publication of their runaway international bestseller, Slow Death by Rubber Duck: How the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Life Affects our Health. Their answer? It’s not as simple as we’d like, and it’s not as easy as we’d hope. But it’s too important to ignore.

In Toxin Toxout, Lourie and Smith give practical and often surprising advice for removing toxic chemicals from our bodies and homes. There are over 80,000 synthetic chemicals in commerce today, and the authors use their outrageous experiments (they and their brave volunteers are the guinea pigs) to prove how easily our bodies absorb these chemicals. With trademark humor, they give us the good news about what is in our control, the steps we can take to help our bodies remove our toxic burden — and what we can do to avoid it in the first place. Furthermore, Lourie and Smith investigate the truth behind organic foods, which detox methods actually work, if indoor air quality is improving, how we dispose of waste (where do those chemicals go?), and the ins and outs of a greener economy. The result is nothing short of a prescription for a healthier life.

Awards, Nominations, and Distinctions:

Starred Review – Booklist

Critical Praise:

Scrupulously researched and sourced with thorough chapter notes, Toxin Toxout is remarkable both for its content and appealing narrative voice. Simply put, this is a book no one in the industrialized world has the luxury of ignoring.

Booklist


Everyone concerned about hazardous chemicals should read Toxin Toxout. This informative and amusing book provides a much-needed road map through the varied detox approaches on the market today and the challenges posed by ever-growing mountains of waste. But the most important takeaway is that we must protect ourselves from toxins by engaging as citizens and not just as responsible consumers, to prevent ‘toxIN’ while we ‘toxOUT’ the economy.

Annie Leonard, creator, The Story of Stuff


Ruthlessly probing and logical, Bruce Lourie and Rick Smith take the reader on a whirlwind tour of the myriad toxins that we encounter in cosmetics, water, paints, electromagnetic devices—all the things that cross our paths as we just live our lives. If you’ve ever wondered whether the shampoo you use might contribute to cancer risk, or whether there was any merit to all those ‘detox’ program ads you see, then this book will help you understand the real story. These authors have created a truly indispensable and enlightening guide to living in the twenty-first century.

William Davis, MD, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health


We all owe a debt of gratitude to Bruce Lourie and Rick Smith for slowly poisoning themselves for our benefit. And perhaps even more, for figuring out how to unpoison themselves. This is a fascinating book that has made me change my daily routines.

A.J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author of Drop Dead Healthy, My Life as an Experiment and The Know-It-All

About the Author(s):

Bruce Lourie is a leading environmental thinker, writer and speaker. He is President of the Ivey Foundation and is a director of several organizations in Canada and the United States.

Rick Smith is a leading environmentalist. He is executive director of the Broadbent Institute and was the executive director of Environmental Defence for almost 10 years.

Other Editions:

  • English (Canadian Hardcover)

  • English (Canadian Paperback)

  • English (ANZ)

Other Books by Bruce Lourie:

  • Slow Death by Rubber Duck – 10th Anniversary Edition