Dr.
Mark Lorch, who is a senior lecturer in biological chemistry at the UK’s
University of Hull, seems to be channeling what we at ACSH have been saying for
years: “Chemical” has become a pejorative word for no good reason (very bad
reasons, really) and this is largely due to a fundamental lack of knowledge by
the public, the inability of chemists to disseminate correct information, and,
of course, the “scare industry” that plays upon unwarranted fears in order to
sell “chemical free” nonsense.
In
his piece, “Manmade or natural, tasty or toxic, they’re all chemicals,”
Lorch clearly spells out the common misconceptions involving chemicals and
chemistry:
-
There is an inherent difference between synthetic and naturally occurring chemicals. (No, there isn’t.)
- The presence of a chemical in your body means that it is harmful.
- Dose doesn’t matter. A little isn’t much different from a lot. (Anything but.)
That the terms chemical and poison are
interchangeable. Even the Oxford Dictionary defines a chemical as “a distinct
compound or substance, especially one which has been artificially prepared or
purified.”
Yet,
the misconceptions persist, and even flourish, despite the attempts of
scientists to debunk them. Why?....To Read More.....
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