Hazardous Chemicals: Agents of Risk and Change (1800-2000)
Hazardous Chemicals: Agents of Risk and Change (1800-2000)
Conveners: Deutsches Museum Research Institute; Department of History, Maastricht University; and Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society
Location: Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany
Date: 27-29 April 2012
The Research Institute of the Deutsches Museum, the Department of
History at Maastricht University and the Rachel Carson Center for
Environment and Society are planning a joint workshop to be held at the
Deutsches Museum, Munich, in April 2012 dealing with the history of
hazardous chemicals.
Chemistry is undoubtedly a science with a great social and economic
impact. During the past two centuries millions of new substances have
been described, and thousands of them have become novel industrial
products. In several cases the scale of production, together with
by-products and wastes, has led to previously unknown effects on human
health and on the environment. Growing awareness of the impacts of
hazardous substances on the economy, society and the environment has
stimulated new scientific insights, discussion of risk perception, and
new legislation. Advances in analysis and detection of chemicals have
played a large role in this respect. Since the 1960s, industrialized
countries have adopted a framework for assessing and regulating toxic
chemicals that remains in force today. By this means attempts have been
made, with varying degrees of success, to control individual pollutants
using scientific and technical tools, including risk assessment,
toxicological testing, epidemiological investigations, pollution control
devices, trace measurements, and waste treatment and disposal technologies.
The present workshop will focus on the interaction between (a) the
growing presence of hazardous substances in the economy and the
environment, and (b) the cultural, scientific, regulatory and legal
responses by modern society to these hazards. In each paper a specific
chemical, or group of related chemicals, will take centre stage: from
the start of its industrial production, via the proliferation of its
uses, and the discovery of its effects on workers, consumers and/or on
the biosphere, to attempts to control its emission and use, including
the development of alternative products. The workshop will focus in
particular on the history of specific chemicals which have had a
profound impact on the way in which ecological and health effects have
been perceived. Using a 'biographical approach' it will trace the entire
'life history' (production, use, problems, risk assessment, management
strategies, and disposal) of those hazardous substances, culminating at
the point at which legislative controls or alternative technical
pathways were finally established. The focus will be on the main period
of chemical industrialisation (ca. 1800-2000).
Examples of substances that have had profound effects on ecological
thinking and on legislation, and which would be welcome candidates for
analysis using this kind of 'biographical approach,' are:
Arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, nitrates, cyanides, sulphur dioxide,
radioactive substances, DDT and other halocarbons (including dioxins),
aniline and aromatic amines, benzene, azo dyes, vinyl chloride, CO2,
PCB's, and CFC's.
Of course, papers on other important cases are also most welcome!
In all cases, we prefer papers having a global or at least an
international outlook; national overviews could certainly also be of
great value. However, studies which have a regional or local focus are
unsuitable in the context of this workshop.
Since the approach to this topic is interdisciplinary, chemists,
toxicologists, historians of science and medicine, environmental
historians, sociologists and scholars, active in environmental
organisations, etc., are all invited to participate and to contribute a
paper.
Papers that satisfy the final reviewing procedure will be published in a
volume with the working title Hazardous chemicals: Agents of risk and
change (1800-2000). Papers should be no longer than 10.000 words. The
conference language will be English.
The Rachel Carson Center will cover the travel cost and accommodation
expenses for all participants invited to deliver a paper. The conference
will take place in the Kerschensteiner Kolleg of the Deutsches Museum in
Munich.
For the present we would like those interested in participating in the
workshop to forward an abstract of the proposed paper, of approximately
600-800 words, as well as a CV. Please send these documents to the three
organizers of the workshop: Ernst Homburg
Elisabeth Vaupel
(e.vaupel@deutsches-museum.de
Paul Erker
before 1 July 2011.
Papers will be pre-circulated and should be received no later than 1
February 2012.
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Dr. Ernst Homburg
SHT-Professor History of Science and Technology
Department of History, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University
of Maastricht
P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, Netherlands
Tel 00-31-43-388 3314/ 3495; Fax 00-31-43-388 4917
E-mail:
private: Parallelweg 9, 6245 JL Eijsden, Netherlands
Tel 00-31-43-409 4462
SHT = Stichting Historie der Techniek: