Science writer Fred Pearce in New Scientist called Davis a "a hero with a nose for trouble" and drew comparisons to Rachel Carson, the author of Silent Spring. Other writers have compared and Davis and Carson, both in their styles and themes of writing and their small town Pennsylvania upbringings. Epidemiologist Bert Brunekreef wrote the book is "at its best when describing how commercial interests have harassed well known environmental health scientists in attempts to downplay the seriousness of, say, the effects of environmental lead on the IQ of children," but found "an alarming number of errors" regarding air pollution.
Science writer Fred Pearce in New Scientist described Davis as a "hero with a nose for trouble" and drew comparisons to Rachel Carson, the author of Silent Spring. Other writers have drawn similarities between Davis and Carson, both in their writing styles and themes, as well as their small-town Pennsylvania upbringings. Epidemiologist Bert Brunekreef wrote that the book excels when describing how commercial interests have harassed environmental health scientists, but found "an alarming number of errors" regarding air pollution.