It’s a common demand from the public to scientists: prove to us
something is safe before unleashing your monster on the world.
And on one hand, it’s a totally fair, reasonable request to not
be treated as lab rats. I get that. I hate the idea of having
big chemical corporations profiting off their creations that
create long term problems for ordinary people and the
environment. On the other, whether you’re talking about GMOs or
synthetic chemicals, it’s a problematic request for a couple of
key reasons: - It assumes a binary between safe and unsafe
without regard to exposure level or other circumstances. Just
about everything can be harmful under the right (or perhaps I
should say wrong?) conditions. Take water, for example. Tons of
evidence that it’s generally safe to drink. However, it’s still
possible to die from drinking too much water. Even small
quantities of water, if inhaled, can be deadly. It’s called
drowning. Microbes also love water, which is important to know
if you’re into DIY personal products.