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Architecture & Engineering


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January 23, 2009

Strange But True!

Q. It details one of the most surprising divisions of the haves and have-nots of the world, with an estimated 2.6 billion people suffering not just deprivation but problems of sanitation, health, longevity. It's a book not to be wasted or eliminated from your reading list. Guessing the subject matter here shows you're a keen observer of culture, biology, human history.

A. The haves are owners of toilets, whose absence can take years away from life expectancy — affecting about a third of the world, says Rose George in “The Big Necessity: Adventures in the World of Human Waste.” Potty training is one of the first steps in socialization and cities would be impossible without sanitation. “Water-borne diseases” account for some 10 percent of all illness.


 
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