And the Waters Turned to Blood Hardcover – April 2, 1997 Author: Visit Amazon's Rodney Barker Page | Language: English | ISBN:
0684831260 | Format: PDF, EPUB
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Amazon.com Review
Don't drink the water. Don't swim in it, fish in it, or even bathe in it. Rodney Barker's book,
And the Waters Turned to Blood details the latest plague to visit our shores: Pfiesteria piscicida, the "cell from hell," an aquatic microorganism that causes sufferers to exhibit symptoms similar to Alzheimers or multiple sclerosis. As it follows the fortunes of Dr. JoAnn Burkholder, one of the first scientists to recognize the danger of Pfiesteria, Barker's book reads like a cross between science fiction and conspiracy theory: Dr. Burkholder discovers that excessive pollution in the rivers and coastal waters of the Southeastern United States causes a deadly microorganism to breed like crazy; state and federal government attempts to suppress the report.
An investigative reporter by training, Mr. Barker writes And the Waters Turned to Blood like a thriller, revealing pieces of the puzzle judiciously as he builds tension. Unlike in a literary thriller, however, there is no tidy ending to this story. Readers will be left with the disturbing knowledge that fish are still dying, fishermen are still getting sick, and the potential for disaster in this latest scourge is still unmeasured.
From Library Journal
This latest book from investigative reporter Barker reads like a medical thriller but is much more frightening because the events are true. Barker follows the work of Dr. JoAnn Burkholder, a scientist from North Carolina State University, as she attempts to obtain academic respect and funding for her research on a new species of dinoflagellate that is responsible for a number of major fish kills. Unquestionably supportive of Burkholder's views, Barker illustrates the often difficult relationship between science and politics. He presents a detailed discussion of Burkholder's struggles with state officials as she becomes convinced that the organism is toxic, not only to fish but also to humans. Written in a clear, non-technical style, this book will be of immense interest to any reader concerned with the state of the environment and its impact on human health. Recommended for all libraries.
-?Tina Neville, Univ. of South Florida at St. Petersburg Lib.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Direct download links available for And the Waters Turned to Blood Hardcover – April 2, 1997
- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster; First Edition edition (April 2, 1997)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0684831260
- ISBN-13: 978-0684831268
- Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #892,258 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Here's the book I've been waiting for, about pfiesteria piscicida (feast-eer-ee-ah pis-ki-seed-ah), the microscopic animal that is terrorizing the waters up and down the east coast of the U.S. (and perhaps coming soon to a waterway near you).
The main focus of the book is top researcher JoAnn Burkholder, and her struggle to get beyond the politics and bureaucracy of various agencies in North Carolina, in order to obtain funding to continue her research on the organism. The increased water pollution in recent years, in the form of livestock-manure runoff, and dumpings from industry, have created an environment that favors the flourishing of pfiesteria. It has at least 24 stages of life cycle, remaining in a dormant cyst stage until it senses the presence of fish. Then it comes to life, zapping the fish with a kind of neurotoxin and then eating holes in the fish. Humans who come into contact with water in which pfiesteria (in its toxic stage) is present, often suffer skin lesions that won't heal, memory loss, and disorientation. Chronic exposure can lead to personality changes and loss of cognitive function that emulates brain damage, which is what happened to lab worker Howard Glasgow, whose story is discussed in detail in this book.
It is a tale that seems familiar: a strong-willed scientist makes a major discovery about what is killing fish in North Carolina's waterways. Then she has to deal with greedy and jealous scientists who wish they had been the ones to make the discovery, and who try to ruin her career. Then she must face the media attention, and finds herself becoming an advocate for the citizens, who simply want to know if that thing that is harming the fish can harm humans too. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence to say YES.
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