Published: Jul 8, 2014 by Gavin
The “chemical-free” movement has been getting increased attention in the media and many companies have begun labelling their products as such. This is a dangerous trend, in my opinion, because it is rooted in fear and fundamental misconceptions about science. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) defines chemophobia as an “irrational fear of chemicals”. Due to the inherently irrational nature of chemophobia, the best way to combat it is through education. With a basic understanding of chemistry, many of these issues can easily be understood for what they are.
When confronted with chemophobia and “chemical-free” products, an easy knee-jerk reaction is to respond with sarcasm, as depicted in a recent^‡^ Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. I, too, have been known to respond to “chemical-free” claims with incredulity. “This product is chemical free! How is this simple cardboard box containing a vacuum?” However, this is not a productive way to react to such claims, instead we should attempt to understand where these ideas are coming from and work to clear up any misconceptions. Additionally, as chemists, we need to accept that the language we use differs from that of the general public.
When we say something is a chemical, we mean that it is made from atoms (i.e., everything). Non-scientists have a different understanding of the word. The Oxford English Dictionary definition of chemical is “a distinct compound or substance, especially one which has been artificially prepared or purified”, clearly a different understanding of the term. I’m not going to say that one understanding is right and one is wrong. Both are equally correct, but they stem from fundamental differences in how the world is viewed.
To that end, I would like to start a project, where I will periodically write posts on the claims made by the “chemical-free” folks where I dig into the science behind the issue. This will be a rational examination of the issue, sometimes we’ll find that they have made the right choice (although not always for the right reasons), other times we’ll look at unfounded claims and where they originate from. My hope is to provide a bit of hard science in an area that is all too often dominated by pseudoscience and fear.
^‡^ Apparently this “recent” comic was actually published on April 11, nearly three months ago, so today we have learned my brain’s idea of recent is not to be trusted.