Letter to the Editor Regarding Chemical White Paper Special Issue

In a recent speech at their annual science festival, the President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science referred no less than 16 times to how things appear, or how they are perceived.(1) His argument was that these public perceptions need to be incorporated into the risk management process for society to restore its trust in the scientific decisionmaking process. In a similar vein, Michael Rogers in his article points to the “perceived need for a new regulatory framework for chemicals,” referring us to the European Commission’s review that indicated “widespread public concern about the effects of chemicals on human health and the environment.” Similarly, Inger Schorling suggests that for various diseases “a link to chemical exposure seems likely,” and Ragnar Lofstedt alludes to “the image of a ‘non-toxic society’.” I was brought up to think that it was the role of science and the responsibility of scientists to expose the real relations behind the appearance of things. If the world were as it seems there would be no need for science, while public policy based upon appearance is little more than bigotry. In the long run this can have quite devastating consequences. Unfortunately, those in our society charged with pointing to the hidden depths behind the surface of things seem increasingly unwilling to challenge people’s prejudices. Among these I would include politicians, regulators, and businesses who in some shape or form have come to rely on a popular mandate, rather than a principled position, for their own survival. Sadly, some scientists also have all too readily absorbed the modern dictate for “inclusivity” and