Earth Day Chemistry Lessons

“This Earth Day, Thank A Chemist,” By Hank Campbell.
Earth Day is fast approaching and, let’s face it, if you celebrate Earth Day you probably hate science. And you really hate chemists. But there has never been a reason for it, it is simply modern chemophobia. If you ask an environmentalist if they should use a chemical solvent or baking soda to clean, they will say baking soda – but baking soda is a toxic synthetic chemical (NaHCO3) unless it is used properly, where it is harmless and biodegradable. Don’t even get me started on all of the chemical carcinogens naturally found in an organic Thanksgiving dinner – you may never eat again. Chemists know what to worry about and what not to worry about and that just because a chemical has an effect in the laboratory does not mean it is biologically relevant. A leaf on a tomato plant contains hundreds of chemical compounds, many of them carcinogenic, for example, so don’t crush them up and poison your spouse with arsenic but don’t worry about getting poisoned by a tomato. Dihydrogen monoxide sounds a little scary if people want to sell fear and doubt. Yet it’s… Read more.