In advance of the "10 Questions for . . .  Arlene Blum, Biophysical Chemist" item that will appear in this blog on Monday, you might want to read "The Toxic Paradox," by Peggy Orenstein, in this week's edition of The New York Times Magazine.

The article grabs your attention from the outset—"There is nothing like the suggestion of a cancer risk to freak out a parent, especially one of the hypereducated, ecoconscious ilk"—and goes on to discuss the anxiety many of us feel when it comes to our children and the real and perhaps not-so-real health concerns we read about and hear of in today's connected world.—Steven H. Saltzman