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Recent Posts
- On the “shocking” revelations in the BC Hydro IPP review and the reality that the fight against climate change is not going to be cheap
- Questioning the PBO’s math on the value of the Trans Mountain Pipeline
- New research puts a stake into the heart of the “Bridge to Nowhere” argument against BC LNG
- Environmental Absolutists are going BANANAs and it will hurt, not help, the environment
- Sorry folks, but the plural of anecdote is data
Top Posts & Pages
- Why a Pragmatic Environmentalist supports the Trans Mountain Pipeline
- On the "shocking" revelations in the BC Hydro IPP review and the reality that the fight against climate change is not going to be cheap
- On the bizarre narrative about bitumen being an "inferior" form of crude oil that can't be sold
- What are the real marine risks of the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion?
- About
- The question anti-Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion activists refuse to answer
- Environmental Absolutists are going BANANAs and it will hurt, not help, the environment
- A layman’s guide to the behaviour of diluted bitumen in a marine spill
- On the costs of fighting climate change and the Site C dam
- Understanding environmental complexity: when initial impressions are wrong - wrapped banana edition
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Dan Morrison on New research puts a stake into… sunshinehours1 on On the “shocking”… sunshinehours1 on On the “shocking”… Chester Draws on On the “shocking”… sunshinehours1 on On the “shocking”… Categories
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Category Archives: Chemistry and Toxicology
A layman’s guide to the behaviour of diluted bitumen in a marine spill
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
On Carbon Dioxide Toxicity
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
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
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
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
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
6 Comments
On the misleading use of toxicology in discussions about fracking chemicals?
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