Is sunscreen safe? What is that public pool smell made up of? And what do cassava plants and Soviet spies have in common? It is a toxic world, but we are trapped between total ignorance on one side and urban myths on the other, avers George Zaidan, who offers the perspective of a chemist on the stuff we eat, drink, inhale, and smear on ourselves. Apart from the burning question of whether you should eat those Cheetos, Zaidan brings wit and whimsy to a range of topics, including sugar, spinach, and coffee, but also cyanide, vaping, and processed foods.