Jenkins discusses danger of toxic chemicals in household products, cosmetics

McKay Jenkins GS ’96 discussed his bestselling new book on the growing presence of synthetic chemicals in our bodies and the environment, “What’s Gotten into Us? Staying Healthy in a Toxic World,” in Guyot Hall on Monday afternoon.

Jenkins said his editor had initially arranged for him to write a nonfiction book about the prevalence of chemicals in a way that would appeal to non-scientists. But, as Jenkins noted, “the idea that you’re going to write a 300-page narrative about chemicals and have it appeal to someone in Barnes and Noble is daunting.”

The situation changed, however, when Jenkins visited his physician complaining of a pain in his left hip. After being referred to multiple doctors and getting an MRI, he discovered that he had a benign tumor in his abdomen. Soon afterwards, while waiting to be operated on, Jenkins was approached by a group of researchers asking questions about his previous chemical exposure.

“This was the first time that I thought about the issue in my own context,” Jenkins said. “Being a journalist, I was irritated with questions which I hadn’t figured out the answers yet. And that’s what gave birth to the book.”

Jenkins’s book, which opens with this anecdote, explores the prevalence of toxic chemicals in common products such as cosmetics, agricultural pesticides, clothing and food. It also details Jenkins’ experience with a Johns Hopkins toxicologist — whom he invited for a toxic chemical home inspection for toxic products — and an occasion when Jenkins and his wife walked through a big-box store and evaluated product labels for chemical exposure disclaimers.

He found that while many industrial and automotive chemicals had explicit labels warning about carcinogenic components, the majority of cosmetic products had no such labels.

“Why would you force a product that’s going on an engine block to have a label but not what’s going on our face?” Jenkins asked.

Jenkins also emphasized the importance of recognizing that these issues are real and immediate. As a professor at the University of Delaware, he said, he engages his students in the same issues that he discusses in his book. He noted, however, that most undergraduates don’t want to face the reality of being exposed to toxic chemicals on a daily basis.

Jenkins pointed to the effectiveness of “body burden” studies, which allow individuals to submit samples of their body tissue and hair to test for the presence of toxic chemicals. The results of these studies show that “what we’re talking about here is not an abstraction,” he explained.

In addition to encouraging people to change their lifestyles or even acting as an impetus for political change, Jenkins said he hoped to generate awareness about the American public’s ignorance of its own environment. “We are utterly disconnected from our landscape,” he noted.

Jenkins received a Ph.D. in English from the University, which he said he attended partly in order to work closely with nonfiction journalist and University journalism professor John McPhee ’53.