Faculty First Year Seminars 197PUBH3 - Plastic Bodies in a Plastic Wo

There are many examples of chemicals that were introduced into our environment and then later identified as hazardous. How do scientists and societies determine whether a chemical is ?safe?? How do we balance the use of risky chemicals with our need for modern products? And what happens when there are pressures that prevent chemicals from being labeled toxicants, allowing harmful chemicals to remain on the market? This class will focus on the emerging issue of plastic safety: how plastics are made, how they are used, and why environmental health scientists are worried about them. Discussions will integrate scientific knowledge with public policy to tackle big problems in the field of environmental health sciences. We will use case studies to examine complex issues with the goal of addressing how society balances knowledge with the costs and benefits of modern technologies.

Freshmen Only