Chemophobia

Chemophobia literally means "fear of chemicals", but the term may be used in various ways. It is most often used to describe the assumption that "chemicals" (i.e. man made products or artificially concentrated, but naturally scouring chemicals) are bad and harmful, while "natural" things (i.e. compounds which occur naturally or which are obtained using traditional techniques) are good and healthy. General chemophobia derives from incomplete knowledge of science, or a misunderstanding of science, and is a form of technophobia and fear of the unknown^{[citation needed]}.

In terms of chemical safety, “industrial,” “synthetic,” “artificial,” and “man-made” do not necessarily mean damaging, and “natural” does not necessarily mean better.

—Sense About Science, Making Sense of Chemical Stories^[1]

Definition and uses

See nonclinical uses of "phobia" and prejudices described as phobias.

The most usual use of the term "chemophobia" is analogous to "homophobia"—a prejudice against something rather than an irrational fear. In this sense, chemophobia is akin to technophobia.

Some^[2] define chemophobia as a specific phobia but most mainstream sources such as the Oxford Dictionary of Psychology do not recognize chemophobia as a psychological condition. However, approximately 60% of the population has mild form of this phobia^{[citation needed]}. Websites that use the specific phobia definition typically sell cures for a very wide range of specific phobias and seem to include "chemophobia" simply to enlarge the range of conditions they claim to treat^{[citation needed]}. The National Institute of Health does not list chemophobia as a rare condition.^[3]

Another definition of chemophobia is that it is a concern about learning chemistry as an academic subject.^[4]

Causes

According to Neil Eisberg, editor of Chemistry & Industry, chemophobia is a result from a public lack of trust—compounded by sections of the media and certain environmental groups—in the chemical industry after chemical disasters:

"[The chemical industry's] reputation with the general public, once extremely high, has fallen to an all-time low as a result of accidents such as Bhopal and Seveso and health scares fed by campaigns by environmental groups and encouraged by a sometimes gullible media. "But where does this lack of trust [between society and business] originate? According to Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent, ...the present situation originated in the 'fabulous fiction' of Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring, which portrayed chemistry as a blind and brutal enemy of birds and other living creatures."^[5]

A contributory factor to chemophobia is due to increasing sensitivity of analytical techniques that can now detect extremely low levels of chemicals. Detected levels are usually so low as to be harmless, though media often only report the fact that the chemical has been detected in such-and-such a place and that it is harmful, but not at which levels the compound might cause harm nor the levels at which it was detected.

"Away from the high doses of occupational exposure, a whole host of unwanted chemicals finds their way into our bodies all the time, [but the] chemical baggage we carry is very small. It is only because of the great advances in analytical chemistry that we are able to detect it’s there at all." ^[6]

Fallacy

See also: Appeal to nature

Some people who may be described as chemophobic believe that all chemicals are at best untrustworthy, and at worst harmful. Those with a knowledge of chemistry, on the other hand, argue that this is an incorrect generalization^{[citation needed]}, because every substance encountered in the universe is a chemical. Even benign, naturally occurring, or pure substances—including unpolluted air and pure water—are chemicals.

More commonly, these people fear what they perceive to be man-made, synthetic, or "unnatural" chemicals, and accept what they perceive to be "natural" chemicals. The distinction overlooks both the benign nature of some man-made substances and the deadly nature of some natural chemicals, such as natural poisons from plants.

See also

• Dihydrogen monoxide hoax
• Biotechnology
• Genetics
• Natural Science
• Multiple chemical sensitivity, a medical syndrome that the patient blames on exposure to low levels of "chemicals"
• List of phobias
• Orthorexia nervosa

Notes

1. ^ Making Sense of Chemical Stories by Sense About Science.
2. ^ NIH definition of chemophobia.
3. ^ NIH listing of rare diseases.
4. ^ Roberta M. Eddy (2000) Chemophobia in the College Classroom: Extent, Sources, and Student Characteristics. Journal of Chemical Education, v77 n4 p514-17 Apr 2000 [1]
5. ^ How industry must win back the public’s faith in chemicals (Joint SCI/CEFIC Global Chemicals Industry Convention) report by Neil Eisberg, Editor of Chemistry & Industry
6. ^ Dr John Hoskins – Toxicologist, quoted in Science For Celebrities by Sense About Science

References

• Chemophobia-the irrational fear of chemicals by Dr. Robert E. LaPointe (Chemist)
• ChemoPhobia & EcoHysteria by Dr. Robert D. Athey Jr. (Chemist)
• Chemophobia cleans up. by Elizabeth Whelan, President of the American Council on Science and Health.
• An antidote to chemophobia. by James M. Taylor (Environment News, July 1, 2002) - Review of Dr. Alan Sweeney's book, Happy & Healthy in a Chemical World (1stBooks, 2001).
• Let's Put An End to "Chemophobia" (Commentary) by Ronald Breslow, The Scientist 22 March 1993, 7(6):12
• Causes Of "Chemophobia" (Letter in reply to Breslow's commentary) by George Baggett, The Scientist 26 July 1993, 7(15):12
• A look at Chemophobia. by Christian Thorsten.
• Molecules at an Exhibition by John Emsley (a critic of chemophobia) Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1998. Hardback, ISBN 0-19-850266-4. Paperback, ISBN 0-19-850379-2. [2]
• Snopes' assessment of urban legends involving 'toxic' chemicals