The Neighborhood Toxicologist

A while back I was invited by American Scientist to write my first ever book review. After having just edited a book that was reviewed (mo...

Our white wall to wall bookcases, blackened from over a decade of “dog” rubbing against the corners, kids whose little shoes marred the wind...

First published in the Montague Reporter, Montague, MA Lately, I’ve been craving peanut butter. Maybe it’s because my husband finished off t...

This morning while walking across town to the Lady Killigrew , a small hipster café located just around the corner from home, I was think...

Melamine is yet another cool ‘50s invention that failed to enter my mother’s kitchen. While friends and neighbors stocked up on the nifty ne...

First Printed in the Montague Reporter Nov 2008 I pull a gallon sized Ziploc bag from its sunny yellow box, one of several boxes my mother, ...

Though I am not in the habit of citing newspaper articles – after receiving the Center for Science in the Public Interest’s weekly Integrity...

My neighbor, the “real” doctor, called the other day, asking for “The Neighborhood Toxicologist.” “So, what are you doing about your bicycle...

First Pulished September 2008 in the Montague Reporter In her 1962 publication, Silent Spring, Rachel Carson wrote about a spring in the ne...

I thought I was “antibacterial” savvy. For years I’ve read labels on antiperspirants and soaps before tossing them into the shopping cart. I...