Publisher description: THE POISON PARADOX explores the dark side of chemistry-and provides a lively and rewarding introduction to the science of toxicology. Explaining what makes a chemical in some cases poisonous and able to harm us yet also sometimes able to heal us, toxicologist John Timbrell shows that poisons are part of the natural world: by understanding the science of the poisons that we might encounter by a accident or design, we can assess what the real risks are and learn to live with them safely.