Book and Media Review pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Review of The Chlorine Revolution: Water Disinfection and the Fight to Save Lives Shannon Andrews* Rock Valley College, Rockford, Illinois 61114, United States “Germs, Disease, and Bacteriology”, McGuire presents a brief yet very engaging overview of turn-of-the-century disease theory. While I was familiar with the work of Louis Pasteur, I had never heard of miasma theorythe idea that diseases were caused by poor atmospheric conditions, including foul smells (pp 45 and 62). The Chlorine Revolution provided me with a more balanced and informed perspective on chlorination as I was teaching a unit on water chemistry as part of an environmental chemistry course. I was reminded that water chlorination is a life-saving, modern-day necessity, despite current concern over cancer-causing chlorination byproducts and terrorist attacks on chlorine trucks. For these reasons, I would definitely recommend The Chlorine Revolution. Regrettably, I also felt that the book as a whole is not cohesive. In the preface to The Chlorine Revolution, the author explains that he wanted to investigate the “partnership between two innovative figures in the field of drinking water disinfectionDr. John L. Leal and George Warren Fuller” (p xvii). Both men played critical roles in developing and implementing chlorination technology at the Boonton Dam in New Jersey in 1908. Additionally, both men were forced to defend their actions in the subsequent Jersey City water trials. The book’s chapters address a variety of topics, ranging from these water trials, to detailed biographies of important scientists, and to the development of water disinfection and filtration techniques. However, because each chapter in the book focuses on a specific topic, the chapters become insular. Granted, each chapter in itself is very organized and well researched, and includes a comprehensive list of sources. Unfortunately, there are no transitions between the different chapters and it was unclear to me how early chapters are related to the work of Leal and Fuller. The book also feels fragmented because new terminology is integrated into the book’s early chapters, but not introduced and defined until later chapters. In early chapters, when McGuire is describing historical events, he effectively uses gray-colored insets to present short biographies of key players. This presentation style is completely abandoned halfway through the work. Consequently, I found the incohesive nature of The Chlorine Revolution to be slightly distracting and I felt that it detracted from the overall readability of the book. The Chlorine Revolution: Water Disinfection and the Fight to Save Lives is a well-researched historical account of the interwoven events that eventually resulted in chlorination becoming a widespread and life-saving sanitation practice. Within this account, the author dedicates several chapters to the advent of modern bacteriology, the development of new water filtration technology, and the water sanitation problems
The Chlorine Revolution: Water Disinfection and the Fight to Save Lives by Michael J. McGuire. American Water Works Association: Denver, CO, 2013. 350 pp. ISBN: 9781583219201 (hardcover). $49.95.
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n his book, The Chlorine Revolution: Water Disinfection and the Fight to Save Lives, author Michael J. McGuire chronicles the development of modern water sanitation techniques from 1890 to 1910. McGuire’s presentation of the debate and chemophobia surrounding water sanitation is reminiscent of current controversies, such as the influenza vaccine and genetically modified food. Throughout his book, McGuire includes detailed biographies of pivotal doctors, engineers, and scientists, providing a humanistic view of the legal battles over water chlorination. This book is an important read for anyone who teaches environmental chemistry and for students of water chemistry and engineering.
Cover image provided by American Water Works Association and reproduced with permission.
I found The Chlorine Revolution to be both informative and enlightening. In recent years, I have read a lot about the negative health effects of chlorination, particularly the formation of trihalomethanes and other chlorination byproducts. Moreover, I usually take the availability of safe drinking water for granted. Early chapters in The Chlorine Revolution serve as an important reminder that cholera, typhoid fever, and other waterborne diseases caused widespread fatalities. For instance, in 1891 nearly 2000 people died from typhoid fever in Chicago, because the city’s sewers emptied directly into its primary water source, the Chicago River (p 39). Before chlorination, other cities suffered similar epidemics because of rapid population increases and sewer discharges from upstream cities (pp 172−174). In the chapter entitled © 2014 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
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Journal of Chemical Education
Book and Media Review
that accompanied the urban population explosion of the late19th century. Although the book also includes several short biographies of important scientists, the longer, more detailed biographies of sanitary engineer George Warren Fuller and the influential John L. Leal are made particularly interesting by the inclusion of sensational details about their personal lives. McGuire’s documentation of the political battles and public concern over water chlorination is a familiar theme, in that “revolutionary” scientific advances are rarely free from controversy. In conclusion, while the book lacks an overarching narrative, I would still recommend The Chlorine Revolution because it contains a great wealth of engaging and pertinent information.
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AUTHOR INFORMATION
Corresponding Author
*E-mail:
[email protected]. Notes
The authors declare no competing financial interest.
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