The Devil's Element discussion

[Becky]

Please add your comments about The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance to this thread.

[Iris]

I was able to get this book on Libby right away. The first paragraphs of the introduction would make for a good episode of Americas Dumbest Criminals, except who knew that blue-green algae was not a true algae but a toxic cyanobacteria? I did know that algae blooms in summer on the Gulf Coast are often caused by excess fertilizer flowing into the Gulf from lawn fertilizers and farming activities in the watersheds feeding into the Gulf. The author helps us to understand the role that phosphorus plays in these harmful algal blooms.
I particularly like the way the author connects the dots: phosphorus-mining-fertilizer-food-human population-water pollution vs. the natural cycle soil contains phosphates-plants absorb-animals eat plants-animals poop and die releasing phosphates back into the soil. We have turbo-charged the system to quickly produce more crops for people and the animals we eat. He puts it this way in the introduction: "we have cracked the circle of life and turned it into a straight line, and that line has an end, whether it's in one hundred years or four hundred years."

[NancyJ]

My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance by Dan Egan. The author takes us around the world and through time, to learn about an element that most of us know little about. I enjoyed the stories and interviews and his writing style. This could be a dry book otherwise. He starts with a Florida Man story (funny news items that always start “A Florida man…”) I didn’t like this book as much as The Death and Life of the Great Lakes, but I learned a lot.

Phosphorus is a miraculous substance that is needed to feed the world. It’s also a poisonous chemical that is polluting lakes and beaches with deadly blue-green algae. It creates dead zones in water where nothing can live. It’s a good thing it smells bad, because it warns people to stay away, thereby saving lives. It has closed beaches and harmed fishing and tourism in some locations. Florida, Mississippi River, the gulf coast, and the Great Lakes were some of the areas mentioned. I live near one of the lakes affected.

Phosphorous has created drama and controversy with law makers and (even a king) around the world. He relates past lawsuits (e.g re laundry detergent), and upcoming legal fights.**He explains why US politicians are afraid to touch it. Many large industrial farms use too much and waste it. Some warn of a future shortage. Everyone needs it, and a large portion of the world’s mined supply is controlled by only one person. Animal and even human waste contain phosphorus, but many don’t want to think about it. (He provides a tip about where people don’t advise eating raw produce.)

**Added
There are some relatively simple ways for huge industrial
farms to decrease the run off and waste, but the US Clean Water Act specifically exempts the industry. I have a feeling we won’t see progress on that issue in the current political climate. I just read that The Supreme Court weakened a provision of the Clean Water Act on March 4, 2025.

[NancyJ]

Iris wrote: "I was able to get this book on Libby right away. The first paragraphs of the introduction would make for a good episode of Americas Dumbest Criminals, except who knew that blue-green algae was not ..."

I really like your descriptions of the possible life cycles for Phosphorous.

The part about the use of bones surprised me.

[Hayley]

I'm halfway through this book, and it's wonderful. I've read a lot of books about war, and it was never mentioned that bodies were de-fleshed and sent to England to be ground into fertilizer. And that England has three mills dedicated to grinding human bones to pebbles has never been mentioned in any history book either.

[Hayley]

Just finished The Devil's Element and thought it was thought-proving, timely, and brought attention to a problem few people in power are paying enough attention to.

[NancyJ]

Hayley wrote: "Just finished The Devil's Element and thought it was thought-proving, timely, and brought attention to a problem few people in power are paying enough attention to."

I’m glad you liked the book too. I liked The Death and Life of the Great Lakes as well. It had some good examples of adaptation and genetic changes that occurred in just a few generations.

Hayley wrote: "I'm halfway through this book, and it's wonderful. I've read a lot of books about war, and it was never mentioned that bodies were de-fleshed and sent to England to be ground into fertilizer. And t..."

I know! I never knew that about the bones either. I hope the idea about human waste as fertilizer never takes hold in North America. It's not just that it makes me squeamish, but think of all those pharmaceuticals going into our food. Though i guess it's all getting into our water system anyway, so maybe it's a moot point.