A hint of Chanel No. 5, a honey bun for breakfast, beer for dinner, and, if it was one glass too many, a headache tablet the next morning... What do these things have in common? That's right, they are mixtures of chemical substances! Whether we perceive them as enjoyable or find them suspicious, like PVC, nitrate, or carbon dioxide, they are part of our everyday life. John Emsley provides solid background knowledge about the chemicals we encounter daily. The connections are described in a simple and relaxed manner, making it easy for the layperson to understand. The arguments are always factual; risks and dangers are presented in relation to the respective benefits of certain substances or technologies. The book illustrates chemical questions and phenomena from nutrition to the greenhouse effect. This allows non-experts to form their own opinions and better understand public discussions.