"Horrifying and inspirational." —Publishers Weekly
"An important cautionary memoir." —Kirkus Reviews
"[Bell's] compelling story is a canary-in-the-coal-mine call for more stringent regulation of industrial chemicals.” —Booklist
"A riveting read about a dynamic public health warrior." —Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
"Alan Bell is defending us and our children." —Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law School
“We are under the greatest environmental assault in the history of humanity. The saga of Alan Bell will break your heart but leave you hopeful.” —Suzanne Somers, actress and author of TOX-SICK
"Poisoned is a moving and inspiring story about one man's descent into the environmental hell that threatens the health and existence of us all. Alan Bell makes a unique and profound contribution to the understanding of how technology's toxic residue is eating away at the fabric of our life." —Jan Schlichtmann, Esq., environmental and toxic torts attorney
“The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth: in this emotional new memoir, former Miami prosecutor Alan Bell lays bare his own battle against a mysterious illness and warns us that we—and everyone we love—may fall victim to the same fate, unless we learn how to protect ourselves against the toxins being poured into our environment every day.” —Ed Begley, Jr., actor and environmental activist
"Bell’s amazing story must be told. His inspiring journey is compelling, riveting and a must read for us all. In contrast to saving the whales, birds or trees, Bell’s crusade in saving the humans brings the environmental movement to its most basic purpose: how it affects you and me, here and now." —Blair Underwood, actor
"Bell’s message takes the environmental movement to the bottom line. His story puts a human face on this hot issue. He is truly a dynamic fighter for the health of us all. A riveting read." —Jim Vititoe, Esq., Vititoe Law Group
“We are the first generation in history that has grown up in an age of environmental pollution. Pollution is taking a terrible toll, with a dramatic rise in human disease. The Environmental Health Foundation fights illness caused by pollution through prevention and by seeking cures. Let’s join Alan’s efforts in making a healthier America.”—Kenny Loggins, singer/songwriter
"Indoor air pollution makes millions of people sick and it doesn’t have to.Take simple steps to protect your health and your life. Join me in supporting the Environmental Health Foundation." —Matthew Perry, actor
"With dangerous chemicals abundant in our world, we need solid guidance coming from people we can trust, showing us the steps we can take to protect ourselves and our loved ones. And that is why I highly recommend Poisoned. Read it. It’s a fascinating story, and your life will be better for it." —John Robbins, president, the Food Revolution Network; author, Diet for a New America and The Food Revolution
"Alan Bell's poignant story calls our attention to the inherent vulnerability of the human condition and reminds us that there is no one, irrespective of his or her station in life or current health status, who is entirely immune to the potential adverse effects of neurotoxicants." —Marcia Ratner, PhD, neurotoxicologist, Boston University
“The Environmental Health Foundation [Bell founded] will produce a long-term agenda addressing the future of environmental health research. There is no question that we all can benefit from their efforts. I look forward to working with them.”—Al Gore, former vice president of the United States
“I congratulate Bell, and greatly admire what he is doing to increase awareness of and overcome the effects from exposure to environmental toxins. This is a mission I’m urging you to get behind, because if we don’t, this world we call home could be plagued by a host of environmentally linked diseases that could dwarf any we’ve yet known.” —Eugene A. Cernan, NASA astronaut and commander of Apollo 17
“Since 1950, more than 85,000 chemicals have been introduced into our environment. Few have been tested for their toxic effects on humans. We are conducting a massive toxicological assault on the American population, and our children and our children’s children are the experimental animals.”—Phillip J. Landrigan, MD, dean for Global Health, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York
"Horrifying and inspirational." —Publishers Weekly
"An important cautionary memoir." —Kirkus Reviews
"[Bell's] compelling story is a canary-in-the-coal-mine call for more stringent regulation of industrial chemicals.” —Booklist
"A riveting read about a dynamic public health warrior." —Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
"Alan Bell is defending us and our children." —Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law School
“We are under the greatest environmental assault in the history of humanity. The saga of Alan Bell will break your heart but leave you hopeful.” —Suzanne Somers, actress and author of TOX-SICK
"Poisoned is a moving and inspiring story about one man's descent into the environmental hell that threatens the health and existence of us all. Alan Bell makes a unique and profound contribution to the understanding of how technology's toxic residue is eating away at the fabric of our life." —Jan Schlichtmann, Esq., environmental and toxic torts attorney
“The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth: in this emotional new memoir, former Miami prosecutor Alan Bell lays bare his own battle against a mysterious illness and warns us that we—and everyone we love—may fall victim to the same fate, unless we learn how to protect ourselves against the toxins being poured into our environment every day.” —Ed Begley, Jr., actor and environmental activist
"Bell’s amazing story must be told. His inspiring journey is compelling, riveting and a must read for us all. In contrast to saving the whales, birds or trees, Bell’s crusade in saving the humans brings the environmental movement to its most basic purpose: how it affects you and me, here and now." —Blair Underwood, actor
"Bell’s message takes the environmental movement to the bottom line. His story puts a human face on this hot issue. He is truly a dynamic fighter for the health of us all. A riveting read." —Jim Vititoe, Esq., Vititoe Law Group
“We are the first generation in history that has grown up in an age of environmental pollution. Pollution is taking a terrible toll, with a dramatic rise in human disease. The Environmental Health Foundation fights illness caused by pollution through prevention and by seeking cures. Let’s join Alan’s efforts in making a healthier America.”—Kenny Loggins, singer/songwriter
"Indoor air pollution makes millions of people sick and it doesn’t have to.Take simple steps to protect your health and your life. Join me in supporting the Environmental Health Foundation." —Matthew Perry, actor
"With dangerous chemicals abundant in our world, we need solid guidance coming from people we can trust, showing us the steps we can take to protect ourselves and our loved ones. And that is why I highly recommend Poisoned. Read it. It’s a fascinating story, and your life will be better for it." —John Robbins, president, the Food Revolution Network; author, Diet for a New America and The Food Revolution
"Alan Bell's poignant story calls our attention to the inherent vulnerability of the human condition and reminds us that there is no one, irrespective of his or her station in life or current health status, who is entirely immune to the potential adverse effects of neurotoxicants." —Marcia Ratner, PhD, neurotoxicologist, Boston University
“The Environmental Health Foundation [Bell founded] will produce a long-term agenda addressing the future of environmental health research. There is no question that we all can benefit from their efforts. I look forward to working with them.”—Al Gore, former vice president of the United States
“I congratulate Bell, and greatly admire what he is doing to increase awareness of and overcome the effects from exposure to environmental toxins. This is a mission I’m urging you to get behind, because if we don’t, this world we call home could be plagued by a host of environmentally linked diseases that could dwarf any we’ve yet known.” —Eugene A. Cernan, NASA astronaut and commander of Apollo 17
“Since 1950, more than 85,000 chemicals have been introduced into our environment. Few have been tested for their toxic effects on humans. We are conducting a massive toxicological assault on the American population, and our children and our children’s children are the experimental animals.”—Phillip J. Landrigan, MD, dean for Global Health, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York
2017-01-31
The story of a Florida attorney who nearly died from a mystery illness borne in a high-rise office building.Bell, a former organized crime prosecutor, harrowingly details the sinister malady that robbed him of his livelihood and nearly his life. He first began experiencing symptoms in 1988 while working high above Fort Lauderdale in a newly constructed office building. The author's youthful aspirations included aiming high for the U.S. Senate, but his plans took a detour with family life, child-rearing, and a potentially deadly new health problem. Episodes of shortness of breath, waves of nausea, and vertigo became more prevalent and vexing, and though diagnosed and treated for pneumonia and a fungal throat infection, the inexplicable symptoms continued, morphing into an all-encompassing sickness that perplexed medical specialists. With some diligent research, Bell eventually began correlating his deteriorating health to a human poisoning condition called "sick building syndrome," which surfaced in the 1970s when buildings were sealed to conserve energy. The author was eventually forced to exist in a sterile bubble as his sensitivity to chemicals and airborne irritants increased and radical detoxification efforts failed. Though his marriage collapsed during his crisis, things did improve once he began treatment for lesions on his brain, doubtlessly exacerbated by exposure to toxins. Though Bell's life span and vitality have been severely compromised by this ordeal, he educates and forewarns others by citing several intriguing cases of environmental poisoning involving black mold, neighborhood pesticides, and an unregulated toxic waste dump. All of these examples reinforce the new career direction he now takes in advocating for victims of environmental and chemical injury. His frustration with the current lack of governmental awareness and action is clearly evident, though Bell does his part in generously sharing pages of lifestyle modifications geared toward detoxifying the home and one's lifestyle. An important cautionary memoir about the dangers of everyday chemicals and environmental toxicity and its lethal consequences.
