"Controlling Chemicals: Rethinking the Roles of Government, Scientists, and Citizens"

Time: 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Place: 6th Floor Conference Room, Chemical Heritage Foundation

Information: 215-873-8289 or bbl@chemheritage.org

Normally when one thinks about regulation—the “control” of chemicals—one imagines a dialectic that pits industry and government pulling against each other, struggling between market-based mechanisms and state-run, end-of-pipe oversight. But this picture is terribly inaccurate, and the perpetuation of such a vision not only ignores the work of everyday scientists and citizens, but it also limits our options for considering how new regulations (or better controls) might be formed. This presentation will offer an overview of the “controlling chemicals” project underway in the environmental history and policy program, including discussion of an alternative mode for viewing the regulatory process and what it means for thinking about collaboration versus competition in the regulatory arena.

Jody Roberts manages the environmental history and policy program in the Center for Contemporary History and Policy. Roberts holds a Ph.D. and an M.S. in science and technology studies from Virginia Tech and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Saint Vincent College. He was the 2005–2006 Charles C. Price Fellow and the 2006–2007 Gordon Cain Fellow at CHF. In his current role, he explores issues related to regulation, environmental and public health, and sustainability, including human biomonitoring, green chemistry, and energy.