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The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

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The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth CenturyA New York Times Notable Book The inspiration for PBS's AMERICAN EXPERIENCE film The Poison Squad. From Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times bestselling author Deborah Blum, the dramatic true story of how food was made safe in the United States and the heroes, led by the inimitable Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, who fought for change By the end of nineteenth century, food was dangerous. Lethal, even. "Milk" might contain formaldehyde, most often

A New York Times Notable Book

The inspiration for PBS's AMERICAN EXPERIENCE film The Poison Squad.

From Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times-bestselling author Deborah Blum, the dramatic true story of how food was made safe in the United States and the heroes, led by the inimitable Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, who fought for change

By the end of nineteenth century, food was dangerous. Lethal, even. "Milk" might contain formaldehyde, most often used to embalm corpses. Decaying meat was preserved with both salicylic acid, a pharmaceutical chemical, and borax, a compound first identified as a cleaning product. This was not by accident; food manufacturers had rushed to embrace the rise of industrial chemistry, and were knowingly selling harmful products. Unchecked by government regulation, basic safety, or even labelling requirements, they put profit before the health of their customers. By some estimates, in New York City alone, thousands of children were killed by "embalmed milk" every year. Citizens--activists, journalists, scientists, and women's groups--began agitating for change. But even as protective measures were enacted in Europe, American corporations blocked even modest regulations. Then, in 1883, Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, a chemistry professor from Purdue University, was named chief chemist of the agriculture department, and the agency began methodically investigating food and drink fraud, even conducting shocking human tests on groups of young men who came to be known as, "The Poison Squad."

Over the next thirty years, a titanic struggle took place, with the courageous and fascinating Dr. Wiley campaigning indefatigably for food safety and consumer protection. Together with a gallant cast, including the muckraking reporter Upton Sinclair, whose fiction revealed the horrific truth about the Chicago stockyards; Fannie Farmer, then the most famous cookbook author in the country; and Henry J. Heinz, one of the few food producers who actively advocated for pure food, Dr. Wiley changed history. When the landmark 1906 Food and Drug Act was finally passed, it was known across the land, as "Dr. Wiley's Law."

Blum brings to life this timeless and hugely satisfying "David and Goliath" tale with righteous verve and style, driving home the moral imperative of confronting corporate greed and government corruption with a bracing clarity, which speaks resoundingly to the enormous social and political challenges we face today.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Group
Published: 09/24/2019
ISBN: 9780143111122
Pages: 352
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.50w x 0.80d
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SKU: 93835850820

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Mountain Man
Birmingham, US
★★★★★ 5
Works great on 36mm filters
Size: 36 mm, Color: Red
Works great on gmc 3.0 diesel fuel filter
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Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2026
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Joe Baumgartner
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 5
Must need socket for doing oil changes
Size: 32 mm, Color: Red
This is exactly what i was looking for. Now it makes doing my oil changes much quicker to do.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2026
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Ryan
Lake Worth, US
★★★★★ 5
Works great, do the double drain for best results
My 06 Altima (185k miles) had been burning massive amounts of oil (like 4 quarts every 800 miles) due to a leaking PCV valve hose that took forever for me to narrow down (months). So after getting that under control I figured I needed to decontaminate the poor engine. When using this I idled my car to operating temp (about 8 minutes). Poured the bottle in, idled it for another 15 minutes. Drained the oil (black and thick). Put the plug back in, poured about 2.5qts of new oil in. Idled it for 10 minutes. Drained that (black but much thinner). Took the old filter off. Let both areas drain for 10 minutes. Put the plug back in, put the new filter on and filled with the 4.6qts of new oil my car calls for. Ran for a few minutes (like 2 with a few revs) and then let sit for 10 mins before checking the level. When I checked my dipstick it was so clean I thought I had a leak because I couldn't see it on any of the crosshatch. I ended up having to go by touch to get the reading. This stuff is amazing.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2025
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T. Lee
Houston, US
★★★★★ 5
Worked for me! Definitely recommend!
Used a whole can in my 2009 Civic 1.8L with 150k miles. I can honestly say, this helped remove a lot of sludge out of the engine. The oil came out with a water-like texture and super dark! Before taking out the oil filter, I added new lower cost oil to the engine and let the engine run for about 5 minutes to get that extra flush! You can definitely see all the extra sludge in the new oil! Drained and refilled with new oil and filter. The engine definitely sounded quieter and smoother than before! If you value your car, I would definitely recommend doing this flush on your higher mileage cars every 50k miles or so! Definitely recommend this LiquiMoly product!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2025
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JJ
Carnegie, US
★★★★★ 5
3rd Update! See review... Good stuff and works as advertised...
Update - 3rd oil change/flush. Engine oil draining from engine is waaaay cleaner than my first flush. Probably won't need to do a 4th time for several changes. I added Ceratec at this change and am amazed how much better the engine performs since my initial flush. Less clatter and very smooth idle. (Jeep 4.0 I6) Update- 2nd change and used the flush again. About 7000 miles from first use. The oil was cleaner and less "gunky" as first time but oil was definitely dirtier than normal. Right away noticed off idle throttle response improved. Then on a drive I take regularly with a mountain pass and long downhill I noticed that even tho the jeep downshifted out of OD it took much less throttle to hold 65 up a long grade. On the downhill normally I would see 50-60 mpg max on the digital readout. This time. It went to 99 which to me indicates more vaccum below the throttle plate. My guess is the rings freed up a bit more than the first flush and highway mileage is up to 23+ where I would get 21 before. Nice! Used in 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee. 140k miles and a ticking lifter (common in the 4.0 - 6 cylinder...). Definitely cleaned sludge (oil filter very heavy!) and oil was dark when draining. Idles smoother, oil stays cleaner longer, slight oil pressure increase and runs cooler. The lifter still ticks but probably a cam lobe issue. Will use it after 7500 miles or 1 year. Will report back after next change.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2017

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