Lecture by McKay Jenkins at Cylburn Arboretum, Wednesday, April 3rd, 7:00pm

Author of What’s Gotten Into Us: Staying Healthy in a Toxic World

In the past few years, scientists have become increasingly worried about the growing presence of synthetic chemicals in our bodies, and in our environment — and the connection these chemicals may have to cancer, hormonal imbalances, and many other diseases. These are not just the toxins leaking out of industrial dumps — they are the chemicals leaking into us from the products we use every day: from cosmetics, cookware, and the fabric in our upholstery; from pharmaceuticals in our drinking water and the pesticides we spray on our lawns. What’s Gotten Into Us: Staying Healthy in a Toxic World takes a clear-eyed look at the ways everyday things may be making us sick, and shows how we can protect ourselves by making wiser, healthier choices. It examines the way products are made and regulated (or, typically, not regulated);  the way synthetic chemicals enter our bodies, and the latest research about what this chemical “body burden” may be doing to our health. It looks at our shopping habits, our drinking water, and our lawn care, and it ponders the ways advertising and marketing have blinded us to some pretty obvious problems.

McKay Jenkins is the Cornelius Tilghman Professor of English, Journalism and Environmental Humanities at the University of Delaware where he has won the Excellence in Teaching Award.  J and many other publications. He lives in Baltimore with his family.

Anyone interested in learning more about the book can visit the author’s website, www.mckayjenkins.com.  Tickets may be purchased online at www.cylburn.org.   Please call the Cylburn Arboretum Association at 410-367-2217 for more information.

Cylburn Arboretum Association is a membership based organization dedicated to supporting, maintaining and improving the Cylburn Arboretum; its Mission is to protect Cylburn Arboretum as a place of open space, beauty, and learning; and to ensure the preservation, enhancement, and interpretation of the site’s gardens, woodlands, historic buildings and collections as educational, environmental, and recreational assets for the benefit of the City and citizens of Baltimore and surrounding regions.