Chemical public perception

These challenges are critical to the profession of chemical engineering, the chemical industry, and our country. Risk assessment and management involve input from a multitude of different disciplines. The methodology is rapidly changing and extremely complex and reqrrires both technical input and input from professionals with expertise in legal, economic, judicial, medical, regrrlatory, and public perception issues. 

There is a serious problem with public perception that the chemical industry needs to correct. In a survey of 1,012 U.S. adults commissioned by the American... 

The four most cited accidents (Flixborough, England Bhopal, India Seveso, Italy and Pasadena, Texas) are presented here. All these accidents had a significant impact on public perceptions and the chemical engineering profession that added new emphasis and standards in the practice of safety. Chapter 13 presents case histories in considerably more detail. 

Most research on aroma recovery by organophilic pervaporation has been conducted using aqueous aroma model solutions [25-28], although in recent years significant interest has been devoted to the recovery of aroma compounds from natural complex streams, such as fruit juices [29-31], food industry effluents [32] and other natural matrixes [33]. The increasing demand for natural aroma compounds for food use, and their market value, opens a world of possibilities for a technique that allows for a benign recovery of these compounds without addition of any chemicals or temperature increase. However, in most situations, dedicated requests by industrialists are formulated in cooperation with marketing departments, which translate into the need for a correct public perception. 

Public Perception of the Chemical Industry - its Structure and Significance... 

For the VCI, the issue of public perception is mainly focused on the image of the chemical industry in Germany. However, since Germany is the third largest chemical-producing nation in the world and exports over half its output in terms of value, and since German subsidiaries abroad manufacture products to a further... 

The Chemical Industry and Public Perception 359 Wilfried Sahm ... 

The pressure to eliminate particular chemicals or classes of chemicals comes in the form of considerable media misinformation and the singling out of certain companies as low scorers in overall environmental rankings. As a result, manufacturers of electronic equipment and other consumer and industrial goods have become more conscience of public perception and have started to restrict certain materials even without legislation to restrict these materials being in place. 

The Brussels Roundtable discussions also point out the interactions between the different stakeholders, e.g. the industry and consumers. As Terence Koh of the Singapore Chemicals Industry Council argued, the chemicals industry demands that it should not be reduced to a role of polluter and in fact, it has recognised that it does well in accommodating public concerns. Daniel Verbist of the European Chemicals Industry Council further argued that We need to learn from scientific progress as well as from public perception to update our knowledge and adapt our practice. ... 

Of major concern to the chemical industry is the public perception that facility managers have little concern for the welfare of their neighbors. Managers themselves have contributed to such false impressions by failing to interact with their communities in a consistent and meaningful way. 

Public perception appears to be focused on the risks rather than the benefits of chemicals production. A pan-European survey found that only 50% of the general public viewed the chemical industry as beneficial to society, whereas 93% consider that chemicals negatively affect human health [78]. Rarely do public debates on chemicals policy discuss the benefits that chemical products provide to society or how to best devise regulation that supports the competitiveness of EU chemical producers. The media eye sees only chemical risks and regulation responds with knee-jerk reactions. Society is faced with complex issues on the sustainability of the chemical industry, not just in terms of maintaining international competitiveness but maximising the potential for the application of innovative chemistry. 

Increasing international competition and poor public perceptions could jeopardise the sustainability of the EU chemical industry. REACH is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the stakes are high. Whether REACH seals or opens the coffin for many EU chemical businesses will depend on the finer details of its implementation, which appears to be in the hands of the EU Member States, the European Commission and the new European Chemicals Agency. 

Public perception of a risk often becomes heightened when there is a perceived lack of voluntary control on exposure scenarios and exposure levels. It follows that human exposure to chemicals via the environment as a result of pollution or contamination tends to be a particular concern and a useful lobbying focus for many environmental NGO. Social mobilisation can result in risk level attenuation rather than amplification [505]. For instance, when a chemical is perceived as being of particular value to society, the level of risk may be more acceptable to many members of the public [506]. 

There has also been speculation that there is a potential black market use of DU as a weapon for bioterrorism, or as part of a dirty bomb. However, a thorough evaluation of the toxicology of uranium indicates that DU is relatively inert, compared to other potential materials and organisms that could be used to make an effective bioterrorism weapon or dirty bomb. Indeed, the reason why DU may still be considered to be an excellent bioterrorism agent is the public perception that DU is a harmful chemical, even though the toxicology of the chemical and radiological effects are relatively mild. 

From 1980 to 1990 in the United States, favorable opinion about the chemical industry fell from 30 percent to 14 percent, while public perceptions of the industry as unfavorable grew from 40 percent to 58 percent (CMA, 1993). Polls showed that the public believed the chemical industry had no self-control, did not listen to the public, did not put safety and the environment first, and did not take responsibility for its processes and products (Rees, 1997). 

Despite the effort that has gone into implementing Responsible Care globally, public perception of the industry is still very low. Probably not surprising. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) tested the blood of 14 European Union Environmental Ministers to determine levels of persistent chemicals (they all had man-made chemicals in their blood) and recent studies have indicated that Arctic animals have high levels of the brominated compounds that are typically used as fire retardants. With that kind of news in the media, it is hard to imagine a positive industry image. 

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