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Morsels: A
Cautionary Tale WHEN SMOKE RAN LIKE WATER: TALES OF ENVIRONMENTAL DECEPTION AND THE BATTLE AGAINST POLLUTION by Devra Davis. New York: Basic Books, 2002. Hardcover, $26. 2002 National Book Award finalist. In this cautionary tale, epidemiologist Devra Davis begins with an almost Rockwellian description of her Pennsylvania hometown. Not big enough to support a traffic light, Donora was home to 14,000 folks whose lives were regulated by the whistle from the steel mill. Its shriek marked dinnertime and school recess and could even summon the all-volunteer team of firefighters to the exact location of a fire with a special code. This vision of Donora turned Orwellian over the Halloween weekend of 1948, when a temperature inversion put a lid on the toxic stew regularly served up by the steel and zinc works. By day four of the fog, 20 people were dead, undertakers had run out of caskets, and half the town's population was sickened. In the ensuing month, another 50 died, and for a decade afterward, the town had a higher death rate than its neighbors. These victims were not mentioned in official reports of the incident, which was characterized as freakish, rather than a sign of a larger problem. This book is Davis's attempt to set the record straight about the hazards of pollution, and she sets her sights far beyond Donora. She re-examines London's smog emergency of 1952 (placing the death toll at 12,000 or four times official estimates); takes on the Ethyl Corporation who launched the cynical campaign to put lead in gasoline; considers the role of a polluted environment in breast cancer rates and declines in male fertility; and describes the rise and fall of more than one public health advocate. In the hands of a less skillful writer, the book could have become unwieldy. Davis's book works because of her engaging style and ability to write for the layperson. This ability is especially evident when she discusses the evolution of our understanding of what makes a poison poisonous. A central tenet of toxicology is that the dose (i.e., how much) makes the poison. "In other words," explains Davis, "substances that could kill at high doses could be expected to be harmless at lower ones. Dispelling this assumption of the universal safety of lower doses took many years of work by dedicated, innovative, and sometimes lonely scientists." One such scientist was Mary Amdur. As an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, Amdur worked alongside Herbert Drinker, inventor of the iron lung. Together, they demonstrated that younger animals were more susceptible to pollutants and that less-than-lethal doses could cause permanent damage. Unfortunately, Amdur and Drinker's studies were funded in part by American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO). After ASARCO learned of their research, Amdur was threatened by two thugs at a conference, and Drinker fired her. Their paper, which had been accepted by a respected medical journal, was never published. Amdur and Davis grew up in the same valley. Both lost family members to pollution, became public health researchers, and studied the incident in Donora. Here, their paths diverge. Amdur never attempted to change public policy, while Davis intends to act and equip other activists with the tools they need to be effective. Davis goes so far as to suggest that action can occur before all the studies have been conducted. "We always need to know more in science," she admits. "But if we always insist that we should do nothing until the damage is absolutely certain, then the only certainty is that we will cut short millions of lives and bring misery to millions of others." The next time a thick blanket of fog covers the Willamette Valley, the residents of Donora will be on my mind. To remember them only on such days, however, would be to ignore Davis's warning. Headline-grabbing tragedies are not the biggest danger we face. What we breathe every day is just as important. According to the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Lane County's everyday environment has some room for improvement: Lane ranks among the dirtiest 10 percent of all counties in the United States in terms of number of residents who face an increased cancer risk from hazardous air pollutants. To learn more about Lane County's air, water, and toxic waste pollution, visit EDF's website: www.scorecard.org.
BOOK NOTES February 27 - March 27: Pacific Northwest Booksellers' 2003 book awards include Michael Collins for The Resurrectionists (Scribner), Sam Hamill for Dumb Luck (BOA Editions), Nora Martin for A Perfect Snow (Bloomsbury), Gina Ochsner for The Necessary Grace to Fall (U. Georgia Press), Chuck Palahniuk for Lullaby (Doubleday) and Kim Stafford for Early Morning: Remembering My Father, William Stafford (Graywolf Press). ...Spoken word artist Kimberly Dark performs at 7:30 pm March 1 at Mother Kali's. ...Poet Jack Gilbert reads at 8 pm March 4 in Knight Library Browsing Room. ...Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Louise Glück speaks at 7:30 pm March 4 in the Wieden-Kennedy Atrium, Portland. Tickets, (503) 227-2583. ...International Day of Poetry Against the War will be celebrated locally at Tsunami Books, where local readers will assemble between 4-5 pm on March 5, with readings to begin at 5 and go 'til later. Please bring a poem to read and refreshments to share. ...Philosophist, naturalist and writer Kathleen Dean Moore speaks at 8 pm March 5 in Gerlinger Alumni Lounge, UO. ...Tom Turner, author of Justice on Earth: Earthjustice and the people it has served speaks at 7 pm March 6 in the Knight Law Center, UO; at 7:30 pm March 5 at 23rd Ave. Books, Portland; and at 7 pm March 8 at Grassroots Books, Corvallis. ...Steven Barnes speaks at 6:30 pm March 6 at Baker Downtown Center, $5 donation non-members Mid-Valley Willamette Writers. ...Dr. Gregory Maertz speaks at 6 pm March 6 in Portland Art Museum's Whitsell Auditorium on "Gordon W. Gilkey, the U.S. Army's Art Detective," a key figure in Maertz's forthcoming book, The Invisible Museum: The Secret Postwar History of Nazi Art (Yale University Press). ...Blyth and Russ Carpenter (The Blessings of Bhutan) speak at 7 pm March 11 in the Knight Library Browsing Room. ...National Book Award-winning writer Andrea Barrett speaks at 7:30 pm March 12 in the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland. Tickets (503) 227-2583. ...Nathan Douthit (Uncertain Encounters: Indians and Whites at Peace and War in Southern Oregon, 1820s-1860s) speaks at 7 pm March 13 in UO Bookstore, upstairs. ...Esteemed poet Galway Kinnell speaks at 7:30 pm March 25 in the Wieden-Kennedy Atrium, 224 NW 13th Ave., Portland. Tickets, (503) 227-2583.
Diner
Dining GLENWOOD
RESTAURANT The Glenwood does breakfast best: I tried a wonderful artichoke heart frittata, an egg dish that's broiled with cheese on top. The texture was delicate and light, not eggy at all, and full of salty, juicy artichokes. I always order the puffy yet hearty biscuits, but there is also whole wheat toast, bagels and muffins to choose from. The Herb Omelet is also very nice: It's much more filling and rich. The pancakes can be touch and go, though the last time we went the buttermilk oat pancakes were cooked to perfection: light and fluffy, golden brown on both sides. This time of year, the fruit selections are slim. The breakfast can be heavy, keeping you full and energized all day, or sending you home to sleep through the weekend chores. Alder: 7 am-10 pm daily. Willamette: 6:30 am-9 pm M-F, 7 am-9 pm Sa-Su. $. NEWPORT
SEAFOOD & WINE FESTIVAL WINNERS The amateur wine competition heated up this year. Judging is based on color, clarity, bouquet, style and taste. Unique and unusual wines like blueberry, apricot, and potato join more traditional types such as Chardonnay, Merlot, and Pinot Noir to give a special variety of tasting challenges to the judges. Best of Show in the amateur category went to James Heffner, of Fairview, Ore., for his 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon. Gold medals awarded in the commercial category went to Tualatin Estate Vineyards, Willamette Valley Vineyards (two awards), Foris Vineyards Winery (two awards), Secret House Winery, Duck Pond Cellars, Hogue Cellars, Snoqualmie Vineyards, and Columbia Winery. Check www.newportchamber.org/swf for more winners.
Leftovers: Bene's got a good thing going, and a new location in the works. In addition to the original Bene on Broadway and the one in Oakway, a third will be opened in a strip mall on Willamette. Look for it this spring in the buildings between Glenwood and Down to Earth. Richard Mellert is gone back East, but one element of his empire remains here in Eugene: Cilantro still exists in the Fifth St Market. Matt McAllister owns it. The Cilantro on 13th Ave. by campus is gone, as is Philly Grill. The revolving campus doors swing quickly! Taco Loco owner Oscar Hernandez has indeed purchased the corner building where Tino's once lived on Willamette, and will be opening a new restaurant (tentatively called La Officina). The plan is for it to be similar to Taco Loco in menu, maybe with more drinks and lighter foods. Expect a whole new look inside. The doors should open in May, if all the building permits go smoothly. |
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