Risks of Chemicals in the Environment

As discussed above, the risk of chemicals in the environment is dependent on both exposure and toxicity. Pathways through which organisms in the environment are exposed to chemicals are therefore key determinants of how safe (and therefore, how green ) a chemical is, and must be considered in moving towards a reduced risk or hazard approach to the production and use of chemicals. Fate in the environment is the principal determinant of exposure and designing chemicals for reduced hazard and risk to the environment involves consideration of processes that affect the chemical in the environment, in addition to toxicity. Assessment of environmental fate, including design of chemicals for nonpersistence, is discussed in detail in Chapter 16. 

Industrialization and materialization came with a price, sometimes easily recognized but often more obscure. Over time, we have come to realize that the development and use of new chemicals is not without risk, and the associated risk of chemicals in the environment must be managed carefully. In 1962, Rachel Carson, in her well-known book Silent Spring, pointed out that chemicals are the sinister and little-recognized partners of radiation in changing the very nature of the world— the very nature of life. Our planet has been despoiled, and the environment in which we live today is one of a fear of chemicals, and a lack of recognition of their importance in our lives. 

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