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    Gustavo Calderon Elias
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    This document discusses the benefits of chemicals in modern life and debunks common myths about chemicals. It notes that while some chemicals can be harmful at high doses, natural substances are not inherently safe. Banning or substituting chemicals can have unintended consequences, as replacements may prove more dangerous. The document uses examples like plastics, medicines, and asbestos to illustrate how chemical innovations have improved lives while outright bans have sometimes caused new issues to emerge. Overall, it promotes a nuanced view of chemicals that considers both their risks and benefits based on dosage and application.

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    This document discusses the benefits of chemicals in modern life and debunks common myths about chemicals. It notes that while some chemicals can be harmful at high doses, natural substances are not inherently safe. Banning or substituting chemicals can have unintended consequences, as replacements may prove more dangerous. The document uses examples like plastics, medicines, and asbestos to illustrate how chemical innovations have improved lives while outright bans have sometimes caused new issues to emerge. Overall, it promotes a nuanced view of chemicals that considers both their risks and benefits based on dosage and application.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    5 views14 pages

    ChemicalRevolutionSlides

    Uploaded by

    Gustavo Calderon Elias
    This document discusses the benefits of chemicals in modern life and debunks common myths about chemicals. It notes that while some chemicals can be harmful at high doses, natural substances are not inherently safe. Banning or substituting chemicals can have unintended consequences, as replacements may prove more dangerous. The document uses examples like plastics, medicines, and asbestos to illustrate how chemical innovations have improved lives while outright bans have sometimes caused new issues to emerge. Overall, it promotes a nuanced view of chemicals that considers both their risks and benefits based on dosage and application.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 14

    Chemical Revolution

    Megan Latshaw, PhD (‘05), MHS (‘01)


    Johns Hopkins University
    Outline

    ► Benefits of chemicals in our lives

    ► Debunking myths
    ► All chemicals are not bad
    ► Natural does not mean good
    ► Dose makes the poison

    ► Banning or substituting chemicals: unintended consequences

    2
    Website from the American Chemistry Council

    Source: American Chemical Company. Accessed April 19, 2018, at https://www.americanchemistry.com/Innovation/ 3


    Imagine Life without Plastics, Laundry Detergents, Antibiotics…

    Soda-lime glass milk bottles. GNU Free Documentation License Version 1.2; Woman at washboard/wringer. Public Domain; Sun Cholera Mixture ad.
    (1895, September 10). Hawaiian Gazette. Accessed April 19, 2018; TB patients. Library of Congress. No Restrictions. Accessed April 25, 2018, at
    Wikimedia; Toy car photo by Thomas Quine. Creative Commons BY 2.0. Accessed April 25, 2018. 4
    Debunking Myths

    5
    Chemophobia: Irrational Fear of Chemicals

    Dihydrogen monoxide (H20) = water

    Image by David Sanabria. Creative Commons BY-SA 2.0. Photo by Sarah Stierch. Creative Commons BY 4.0. Accessed
    Accessed April 25, 2018. April 25, 2018. 6
    Natural Doesn’t
    Mean Safe

    7
    “Dose Makes the Poison” — Paracelsus (1493–1541): Water

    Source: Scientific American. Accessed April 25, 2018, at https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-drinking-too-much-water-can-kill/ 8


    “Dose Makes
    the Poison” —
    Paracelsus
    (1493–1541):
    Cyanide

    Photo by R. de Salis.Rodolph. Creative Commons BY-SA 3.0. Retrieved April 25, 2018, from
    https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Potassium_cyanide#/media/File:PotassiumCyanidePot.jpg 9
    Banning or Substituting Chemicals: Unintended Consequences

    10
    Should We Ban All Bad Chemicals?

    Formaldehyde content

    Pear Vaccine

    100 𝜇𝜇g (less than 1%


    12,000 𝜇𝜇g (in a 200 g
    of the amount in a
    pear)
    pear)

    11
    Asbestos

    Cartoon by Claude Shafer (1878–1962). Public Domain. Accessed April 25, 2018; Photo by Ktorbeck. Public Domain. Accessed April 25, 2018. 12
    Asbestos Replacements

    Source: Accessed April 25, 2018, at https://vimeo.com/217007713 13


    Thank You!

    ► Questions?
    Email: mlatshaw@jhu.edu

    14

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