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 Tonight is the opening of the Chemical Heritage Foundation Museum, a museum celebrating (apparently) the heritage of chemistry.
Yeah, chemistry! I got an A in that in high school! The museum, Inga Saffron writes today, is in the former First National Bank building at 3rd and Chestnut.
Philadelphia’s chemistry connection isn’t new. It began with Benjamin Rush, the colonial-era polymath who was America’s first chemistry professor. The city never stopped being an important research center. Yet at some point, chemists began to feel their field was losing the public’s respect - no doubt as a result of the toxic effects of some of their creations.
Yeah, not a day goes by when I’m not muttering “effing chemists” to myself walking down the street, throwing eggs when I pass the Chemical Heritage Foundation. But apparently there are people that not only do that, but really hate this new chemistry museum:
This article about the Big Chemical museum is just one long pat on the back from the chemical industry to itself. The Chemical Heritage Foundation (yes, that’s its real name) says that the museum “is largely designed for adults who don’t remember or understand much about chemistry.” [...] In case the readers of this article and the visitors to this museum get snowed by the smiling villains, here are a few other tidbits to keep in mind about Big Chemical:
* They’re responsible for Agent Orange, and three generations of birth defects in Vietnam. (Thanks, Dow and Monsanto!)
* They’re responsible for persistent carcinogens like perfluorinated compounds, and they have been prevaricating about the dangers of Teflon and Scotchguard for decades. (Thanks DuPont!)
* They’re responsible for Bisphenol A and phthalates, which are endocrine disruptors that increase the risk of breast cancer and reproductive disorders at very low concentrations. (Thanks, Philips and the entire plastics industry!)
Wait, you mean I shouldn’t have been using this Teflon toothpaste? Ahh well. I guess I’m part of the Big Chemical conspiracy after all.
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