How
many times have you heard a positive news report about the chemical industry?
Wouldn't it be nice to hear?: "The proposed site of the new polymer plant will bring hundreds of jobs
to area. The plant will produce plastics that can be used for food storage,
protective equipment, and scores of other useful materials."
However, instead of this type
of report you'll often hear reports like this: "The people
who live near the proposed area for the new chemical plant gathered near city hall today
to protest the entrance of a potentially dangerous element into their community."
While a chemical plant is
indeed "potentially dangerous", so is driving to the grocery store or opening a
tin can! The truth is that a chemical plant presents little danger to it's
surroundings. Accidents certainly do happen, but the statistical risks are no
greater than those of an aircraft crashing into your home.
The media of the world has helped attach an overwhelmingly negative
connotation to the word "chemical". People forget that everything they
touch, including their own bodies, are made of chemicals. The public is fed images
of plants releasing large white clouds into the air to raise opposition (most of those
clouds are steam). Journalist write about the chemical industry without consulting
someone who actually knows what they're talking about.
1. "Carbon monoxide is formed when something burns in the absence
of oxygen"
2. "The aqualung recycles expired air and removes carbon
monoxide"
3. "Sodium hydroxide, E524: a 1% solution is strongly acidic"
All of the above have shown up in world
journalism or even law (#3)! If you don't notice the mistakes in these articles, you
may be at the wrong website. A well educated high school student could pick out the
problems with these statements. The media's miscommunications continue to damage an
industry that has brought so much to the world. Do they ever stop to wonder where
their Pepsi, Pepsi bottles, carpeting, compact discs, and everything else comes from?
