The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

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The Poison Squad by Deborah Blum follows chemist Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, who, upon becoming Chief Chemist at the USDA in the late 1880s, uncovers widespread food adulteration and contamination. Determined to improve food safety, Wiley conducts human experiments and spearheads advocacy efforts, ultimately influencing legislation that mandates safe food practices and targets unscrupulous manufacturers. The book details exploitative manufacturing tactics endangering consumers, including children.