There's a balance, right? We should have oversight and confidence in that oversight of the chemicals that we use as well as higher general literacy on scientific concepts. Not everything produced in a lab is safe or unsafe. Its a bit of both.
Iâm a chemist.
I need to say this - because itâs getting dangerous out there.
Itâs called chemophobia.
And itâs turning scientifically illiterate panic into a personality trait.
People are now terrified of:
⢠âartificial chemicalsâ
⢠molecules made in a lab
⢠pesticides at parts-per-billion
⢠ingredients they canât pronounce
Meanwhile they drink alcohol, inhale smoke, burn fuel, eat plant toxins and scroll on phones built entirely by chemistry.
The hypocrisy is unbelievable.
Chemistry is not some dark force attacking humanity.
Chemistry is:
⢠medicine
⢠fertilizers
⢠vaccines
⢠materials
⢠electronics
⢠clean water
⢠food preservation
⢠modern agriculture
⢠literally your own body
Without chemistry, modern civilization collapses frighteningly fast.
And yet social media has convinced millions of people that âchemical-freeâ is a meaningful scientific concept.
It isnât.
And when fear replaces chemistry, people stop trusting:
⢠vaccinesâ¨â˘ medicinesâ¨â˘ food safetyâ¨â˘ crop protectionâ¨â˘ innovation itself
A scientifically illiterate society becomes easy to manipulate.
So yes - I will keep defending chemistry.
Because chemistry is not the enemy.
Chemistry is the reason most of us are alive long enough to complain about it.