posted on 2009-12-01, 00:00authored byLester B. Lave
Why does the U.S. economy produce such large quantities of toxic materials and toxic waste? why are we using up our raw materials so quickly? Geiser wants to know why companies don't search for more benign substitutes and why the economy has not done more to curb the profligate use of materials by reusing or recycling them. The book documents extensive past problems, from adding tetra ethyl lead to gasoline to using chlorofluorocarbons for refrigerants and blowing agents. Finally, Geiser pulls these threads together to recommend an approach to an environmentally benign, sustainable materials policy in a sustainable economy.