Greatest Hits 2 – Battling Chemophobia

We can’t stop at just formaldehyde-related greatest hits as I think my favorite posts were often looking at general “Chemophobia,” the fear of chemicals. Folks, EVERYTHING is a chemical, they are all around us, they are you, you are a bundle of chemicals. Chemicals aren’t evil things; they are building blocks of life itself.

Certainly as time goes forward, I will continue to try to advocate the use of science and common sense in regulations and standards and everyday life, but in the meantime, here are some pro-science greatest hits:

  • Celebrity Carcinogens – Just how did formaldehyde and other chemicals become front and center?
  • Continuing to Battle Chemophobia – Science Rocks!  A British professor makes it fun.
  • Well, It Caused Cancer in Rats – It isn’t just the chemical we should consider–it’s the volume. Just how much formaldehyde did they give that poor rodent?
  • A (Reasonable) Dose of Fear? – Let’s get specific regarding the dose. Look out for that bushel of pears!
  • We’re all Chemicals – When was the last time you had calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, calcium silicate, diacetyl tartaric acid esters of fatty acids, ethanol, sorbitol, polysorbate 20, potassium propionate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, ammonium chloride, ammonium sulfate, calcium peroxide, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, calcium propionate and BOTH mono- and diglycerides among other things…    Probably more recently than you knew!
  • Smokers have more chemicals – “Cigarette smoke is a toxic cocktail of over 7,000 chemicals, including 250 poisonous and 70 carcinogenic compounds.” Fun reading!
  • Weighty Words – Words have power and built-in bias that can aid in the creation of Chemophobia.
  • Plea for Common Sense – Regulations should be based on need and science, not fear.

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