The IQ Debate

“It’s really important to draw attention to not only the physical but also the mental consequences of a rampant environmental poisoning,” says medical ethicist Harriet A. Washington. In her book A Terrible Thing to Waste, Washington outlines the staggering, extensive impact of environmental racism. She examines how marginalized communities—and particularly the infants and children in these communities—are disproportionately affected by lead poisoning, atmospheric pollution, infectious disease, and industrial waste. In this conversation, she also takes on the IQ debate and the flawed science behind it. IQ, Washington reveals, is a misused metric that has had devastating effects on our country. And now, we have a critical opportunity to remedy many of these toxic effects. (For more, see The goop Podcast hub.)