Chemistry without phobia

Our ability to detect even the slightest trace of toxic substances in everyday products has been at such a level since the 1990s that nothing harmful escapes us, even if the concentration of this substance is only a few parts per billion. This way, we catch everything harmful at a time when it can' t cause any harm. Yet our lives are dominated by the fear of chemicals.
We are afraid of even harmless things and prefer to buy " alternative", " natural", " organic" products " without chemicals" at exorbitant prices. Humans naturally gravitate towards nature because we feel good physically and mentally in it. But this is sometimes used by marketing specialists who sell us goods labeled as natural products that are not that different from regular ones. This leads to products that " " naturalness" If they don' t declare, we start to worry. And from there it is just a small step to a general fear of chemistry and chemical products, also abused for commercial purposes. The expensive products we buy offer us almost nothing that a beneficial stay in nature cannot provide us with – which is free.
The book by James Kennedy, a British popularizer of chemistry, explores the history of chemistry phobia and convincingly shows that our fears very often stem from misunderstanding, lack of information, or ignorance. The author presents the views of both sides of this dispute, and reading his book will be a pleasure for anyone interested in science. But its main message is clear: An educated person has nothing to fear.
The book is supplemented with numerous comments by Czech scientists who apply its conclusions to the Czech or Central European environment and supplement the explanation with other interesting and sometimes surprising facts.