FRESH AIR
Investigative reporter Mark Schapiro explains in a new book that toxic chemicals exist in many of the products we handle every day — agents that can cause cancer, genetic damage and birth defects, lacing everything from our
gadgets to our toys to our beauty products. And unlike the European Union, the U.S. doesn’t require businesses to minimize them — or even to list them, so consumers can evaluate the risks. Schapiro argues that that policy isn’t just bad for public health: In an increasingly green economy, he says, American businesses stand to get shut out of a huge market. Schapiro, editorial director of the nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting, has written for Harper’s, The Nation, Mother Jones and The Atlantic Monthly. His book is called Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products, and What’s at Stake for American Power.
RADIO TIMES
Hour 1
A new study funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts reports that upward mobility in America is more of a reality for whites than it is for blacks. We talk about the study’s findings and explore the reasons why the income gap persists with Brookings Fellow JULIA ISAACS and ROBERTA IVERSEN, associate professor in the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Jobs Aren’t Enough. Listen to this show via Real Audio | mp3
Hour 2
(Rebroadcast tonight at 11)
Psychiatrist DANIEL CARLAT was for a year paid by a drug company to promote a specific medication for depression. He ended the arrangement and now is actively involved in fighting what he sees as a dangerous and unethical influence of drug companies on doctors and their patients. His article, “Dr. Drug Rep,” was published in yesterday’s New York Times. Listen to this show via Real Audio | mp3
THE WORLD CAFE
Canadian twin sisters Tegan and Sara Quin began performing together at an early age, moving from high-school punk bands to an eventual deal with Neil Young’s record label. After the sisters’ 2000 debut (The Business of Art) spawned tours with several of their heroes — including Young and The Pretenders — they built considerable momentum with 2002’s If It Was You. Two years later, So Jealous lent a poppier feel to Tegan and Sara’s distinctive punk-folk sound, in the process making many critics’ year-end Top 10 lists. The pair just released its fifth album, the similarly accessible The Con. LISTEN
TEGAN & SARA: Nineteen