Category Archives: Chemistry and Toxicology

A layman’s guide to the behaviour of diluted bitumen in a marine spill

Posted on August 22, 2016 by

Having listened to the arguments for and against the Energy East and the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) projects one of the things that really struck me was the low quality of the scientific knowledge used in the debates. In particular, … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Chemistry and Toxicology, Energy East, Oil Sands, Pipelines, Trans Mountain, Uncategorized | 24 Comments

On Carbon Dioxide Toxicity

Posted on April 10, 2016 by

The other evening I became engaged in a fascinating discussion (for me) with a climate skeptic on the topic of carbon dioxide, specifically whether it was “toxic” or not. After that discussion I committed to do a write-up on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Chemistry and Toxicology, Risk, Uncategorized | 16 Comments

On chemical scare-mongering and science communication, it’s BPA’s turn this time

Posted on March 31, 2016 by

I have written numerous blog posts describing the miscommunication of human health risks posed by chemistry and chemicals; covering topics from gypsy-moth spray to synthetic soccer fields. Frankly the fact that I have an entire section of this blog dedicated … Continue reading →

Posted in Chemistry and Toxicology, Risk, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

A cautionary tale about disconnecting theory from data in data analyses

Posted on March 3, 2016 by

In the modern era a new breed of scientist has emerged on the scene: data analysis specialists. Similarly there is a new breed of journalist called “data journalists” with my favourite being Chad Skelton, formerly of the Vancouver Sun. These … Continue reading →

Posted in Chemistry and Toxicology, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

On poor science communication in the media: a case study on the flu vaccine

Posted on January 20, 2016 by

This morning I was directed to a blog post by Bill Tieleman in The Tyee. The post dealt with the flu vaccine and was titled Time to End Expensive, Ineffective Forced Flu Shots. This is the latest of his, now … Continue reading →

Posted in Canadian Politics, Chemistry and Toxicology, Risk, Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Don’t fear the soccer pitch – on synthetic turf fields and risk communication

Posted on November 9, 2015 by

So my twitter feed exploded again. This time it was about the risks of synthetic turf fields to the kids in our soccer organization. The basis for this furor was a series of reports in The Province, CBC etc…. apparently … Continue reading →

Posted in Chemistry and Toxicology | 4 Comments

On the misleading use of toxicology in discussions about fracking chemicals?

Posted on August 17, 2015 by

Last night I was forwarded a tweet that absolutely demanded a response. It was from that friend of science Robert F Kennedy Jr. and said “New Study: CA frak chemicals are linked to cancer, mutations and hormone disruption”. The study … Continue reading →

Posted in Chemistry and Toxicology | 8 Comments