Pipe Dreams

February 1, 2021
A chronicle of the quest for the loo of the future. Toilet humor is one thing, but toilet fact, as digested by skilled science writer Wald, is quite another. Given that the average annual output of each human is "about 100 pounds of poop and about 140 gallons of pee," human societies have always felt a pressing need to figure out what to do with it. One ancient Mesopotamian settlement, writes the author, devised the pit latrine, with a network of subterranean ceramic rings that helped distribute human output into the nearby fields, yielding agricultural benefits. Many places have devolved since that time. In rural India, for instance, people repair to favored outdoor venues that, with modest usage, can accommodate the visits while Indian cities produce enough output to destroy the country's rivers. That's the standard for roughly half the world's population, Wald reckons, and this yields a lethal roster of diseases. If the human gut is "one of the most densely populated and biologically diverse microbial habitats on earth," some of its contents include norovirus, E. coli, and other illness-causing elements. Just as the toilets we rely on turned up during plagues of old, so the current coronavirus crisis should prompt a new kind of toilet, one that will "not only thwart pathogens like those that cause cholera and typhoid but also protect against a modern scourge: a wide range of man-made pollutants...that enter our sanitation systems. Beyond that, it might even monitor the daily deposits of users, communicating with doctors and public health officials in order to catch individual diseases and community outbreaks early." Arriving at new toilet designs figures into much of this lucid narrative, with solutions that produce biodegradable concrete coatings and fertilizer. A new toilet is essential, writes Wald, for "if sanitation doesn't work for all of us, it works for none of us." A highly informative, well-reasoned call to rethink the throne.

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April 1, 2021

Science journalist Ward brings humor and curiosity to this history of the toilet and the ongoing environmental concerns surrounding it. Mindful that not everyone is at ease reading about this topic, Ward keeps it entertaining throughout, with clever chapter titles and illustrations of scientific wonders. What actually goes into toilets? How is the water treated? Why is the toilet the shape and size it is? Ward answers these questions and more with the inquisitive mind of an investigative reporter. Her research also brings medical history into focus when she describes how infectious diseases, such as cholera and typhoid fever, compelled scientists and engineers to find a solution for waste management that led to the development of modern Western sanitation. With candor and ease, Ward details everything from the intricacies of ancient Roman sewers to the sewage works in mid-19th-century Chicago, and describes what life was like before the invention of the modern Western toilet. She touches on the status surrounding the number of bathrooms in private homes and ends with a fascinating history of the rise and fall of the public toilet. VERDICT A surprisingly lively read about the science and history of waste that will engage fans of Mary Roach and popular science.--Dawn Lowe-Wincentsen, Oregon Inst. of Technology, Portland

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April 1, 2021
There are jokes to be made on the topic of toilets; fortunately, science writer Wald treats the subject with the seriousness it deserves. Toilets are part of everyday life, though the basics of "modern" plumbing date back to Victorian-era engineering. Most developed nations cope reasonably well with these limitations, but the rest of the planet relies on unsafe ways of eliminating and disposing of human waste. Solving these issues is a major factor in the health of much of the developing world and it is hoped that technology, with assistance from Gates Foundation grants, may come up with possibilities. We learn about pit toilets, composting dried solids, fatbergs, tracking drug use through sewer lines, and the added complications of gender-specific facilities (when Sandra Day O'Connor became a justice, she had to walk down a long hall to use a public women's bathroom). The book is well-written and researched, with much in-person investigation by the author. Extensive resources and suggestions for further reading follow the text. This is engaging, informative, and an unexpected must-read for readers interested in sustainability, and should have a place in nearly every library.

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