"There are poisons that blind you and poisons that open your eyes."

August Strindberg

A poster of the poison squad in yellow and white

The Poison Squad

The fascinating—and sometimes horrifying - story of the  19th-century crusade for food safety in the United States, led by a pioneering scientist who fought hard against "chemically enhanced and deceptive food manufacturing practices," some of which we still see today. The Poison Squad was a New York Times Notable Book in 2018 and became a PBS documentary in 2020.

About The Author Deborah Blum

Deborah Blum is a Pulitzer-prize winning science journalist, the best-selling author of six books, and a writer with a long-standing interest in poison, in our everyday lives, in our history and in far too many murders. 

Deborah Blum

True Crime & Toxicology Books