The Toxic Sandbox: The Truth About Environmental Toxins and Our Children’s Health
Mercury. Lead. Pesticides. Plastics. Air pollution. PCBs. How can parents sort through the hype, propaganda, and misinformation — and find out what is and isn’t a threat to children’s health? Investigative journalist, advocate, and concerned parent Libby McDonald separates the facts from the alarmist myths.

Government
- Proposition 65, Chemicals Considered or Listed: Crystalline Silica
- National Institute of Health (NIH), Non-Occupational Exposure to Silica Dust
- Center for Disease Control (CDC): Silica, It’s Not Just Dust
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH): Crystalline Silica
- Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Health Effects of Inhaled Crystalline and Amorphous Silica
- American Lung Association: Learn About Silicosis
Media
- Wall Street Journal, Black Lung Disease Makes Comeback
- Wall Street Journal, Silicosis Suits Rise Like Dust
- Wall Street Journal, Obama Administration Issues Rule to Limit Exposure to Silica Dust
- NBC News, Trump Administration Stalls Key Obama Rule on Worker Safety
- Reuters, Left in the Dust: The political tussle over a workplace safety rule
- New York Times, Black Lung Disease Comes Storming Back
- ABC: Silicosis death dust audit reveals ‘major epidemic worse than asbestos’