Download Chapter 3: Information Literacy Toxic Bottles? On the Trail of

Chapter 3: Information Literacy
Toxic Bottles? On the Trail of Chemicals in Our Everyday Lives
Story Abstract and Additional Information
This chapter reflects on how our understanding of the natural world changes almost daily as new
evidence is gathered. It also examines various sources of information and explains how misinformation
about the latest "science" can affect our understanding. Developing information literacy skills enables us
to better evaluate the usefulness and trustworthiness of various sources of information. Then we can
use the highest-quality information to make reasoned decisions about how to respond.
Here are some of the key points in the story for this chapter:
What is a toxin?

Toxins come in two forms: natural and synthetic. Natural does not necessarily mean safe.
Arsenic, a basic element that sometimes leaches into groundwater, can cause cancer and
nervous system damage in humans. On January 22, 2001, the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) adopted a new standard for arsenic in drinking water at 10 parts per billion (ppb),
replacing the old standard of 50 ppb. Water systems were required to comply with the new 10
ppb standard by January 23, 2006. Learn more about the EPA's arsenic rule:
http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/arsenic/regulations.cfm.

Synthetic chemicals, used to produce many of the nation's goods, are a particular problem
because there are many of them and many are persistent chemicals (meaning they don't readily
degrade over time). According to the EPA, more than 80,000 chemicals are used in the United
States alone—and some 1,000 to 2,000 new chemicals enter the consumer market each year.
The EPA produces an annual Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) report to track how toxic chemicals
are used, disposed of, and released into the environment by the nation's industries. Watch this
video about the TRI report and read the 2010 analysis:
http://www.epa.gov/tri/tridata/tri10/nationalanalysis/index.htm.
How are toxins regulated?

Federal agencies—namely the EPA and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) —are mandated
with protecting us from harmful chemicals. They have the authority to heavily regulate or ban
outright those chemicals deemed to be dangerous. Regulation begins with a risk assessment—a
careful weighing of the risks and benefits associated with any given chemical. In 2011 the
nonprofit environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) criticized the FDA for
its risk assessment of contaminants in seafood following the BP oil spill. Read more about the
NRDC's concerns at http://www.nrdc.org/media/2011/111012.asp.

The U.S. debate over how to regulate toxic chemicals began in 1962 with Rachel Carson's book
Silent Spring, in which she outlined concerns about how the widespread use of the pesticide
DDT—first used to combat malaria during World War II—could be threatening the health of
humans and animals. The debate eventually led to a ban on DDT in the United States:
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/chemicals/ddt-brief-history-status.htm. However,
the World Health Organization (WHO), which provides leadership on global health issues, still
supports the use of DDT in controlling malaria:
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/chemicals/ddt-brief-history-status.htm.
What is information literacy?

The ability to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources is referred to as information
literacy. While some sources are carefully vetted for accuracy, others are incomplete or
deliberately misleading. The most reliable sources are primary sources, such as scientific
journals, which contain articles that are evaluated through peer review. Environmental Health
Perspectives, published by the EPA, is one example of a peer-reviewed journal:
http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/home.action.

Secondary sources present and interpret information from primary sources. In science, anything
that hasn't been peer-reviewed is a secondary source. Reputable sources for environmental
information include the EPA, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the FDA, as well as
international sources such as the WHO, the International Panel on Climate Change, and the
World Meteorological Association. Secondary sources also include all reports from the popular
press. The Nature Video Channel provides analysis of scientific studies that are written about by
the Nature Publishing Group: http://www.youtube.com/NatureVideoChannel?gl=GB&hl=en-GB.
Additional information about other topics from this chapter:
Is BPA a toxin?

Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a synthetic chemical used in metal food cans and in many plastic
products. In 2008 a panel of scientists known as the National Toxicology Program (NTP) stated
that it had "some concern for the effects on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses,
infants, and children and current human exposures to bisphenol A." Listen to the NTP's
discussion of BPA at http://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/sya/sya-bpa/.