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Chemical apathy or hysteria: What role for education?

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Abstract

Emotional responses from local community groups to the establishment of new industrial activities, involving toxic chemicals, are common. The need for more public education about chemical hazards has often been stated. In the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, PCBs have been stored since 1985, pending their destruction. Council approval for the siting of a pilot plant for their treatment recently caused controversy. This paper presents an analysis of the situation, defines the knowledge needed by ordinary people to participate effectively and rationally in decision making and discusses the acquisition of that knowledge in a community setting. It is not the intention of the author to discuss the contribution that could be made through formal secondary education.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Deakin University, 3125, Burwood, Vic.

    Andrea Klindworth (Lecturer in Science)

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  1. Andrea Klindworth
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Specializations: primary science teacher education, computers in education, environmental education, social responsibility in science.

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Klindworth, A. Chemical apathy or hysteria: What role for education?. Research in Science Education 23, 156–164 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02357056

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