SPEAKING BE AN AMBASSADOR FOR CHEMISTRY! 1 D ivide the class into two groups: Chemistry Convinced Fans and Chemistry Doubtful Fans. The Convinced Fans should find reasons to persuade the Doubtful Fans to appreciate the science and the many benefits it provides society with. The latter put forward their point of view by highlighting the drawbacks of Chemistry. These hints might help the Chemistry Convinced Fans. I m proud to be a chemist because Chemistry has done more to improve the quality of life than any other science has. Most of the advances in materials and products that we benefit from today are a result of chemical research. Life expectancy has increased dramatically due to the discoveries of chemists and to products of the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Chemistry helps us understand what makes up our food, our bodies and our surroundings. Chemistry is essential to provide safer new materials and sustainable energy sources, reduce waste and eliminate most sources of pollution thus saving the environment, The work done by chemists helps agriculture in providing better fertilizers and pesticides. Our manipulation of chemicals in a laboratory sounds like fun. THE WONDER OF CHEMISTRY Module 2 ACTIVITIES These hints might help the Chemistry Doubtful Fans. The science of Chemistry is good, but We ve got to keep in mind that what we do with it can harm us. The indiscriminate use of chemicals in many areas of human activities has created enormous pollution problems. A lot of testing on the long-term effects of new chemicals and new technologies is essential before we put them into use. We must remember that introducing a new chemical into the environment can cause disasters, such as the catastrophic effects of harmful substances like DDT and CFCs. Accidents in factories or during the transport of chemicals are frequent and can cause enormous damage. We cannot forget the Bophal disaster in India where a pesticide plant released enormous clouds of toxic gas which killed thousands. Working with Chemistry may be dangerous since we handle and are exposed to hazardous substances. 95