Our Chemicalized World

Here you find all episodes of the podcast „Our Chemicalized World“, organized in reverse-chronological order. Together with a brief description of the content of each episode, download links and a link to the shownotes.

You can find the podcast listed with the usual suspects:

Feedback (technical as well as content-related) is welcome! Drop me an email or reach out on Twitter @ThoBaSwe

Episode 4:

In this follow-up to my interview with Martin Wagner in the previous episode, I discuss some recent reviews on microplastic pollution and environmental risks. I also provide some personal assessment on possible steps forward. First and foremost, at least that’s how I’d argue, need to systematically improve our consumption patterns, and then we must improve global plastic waste management. Implementing those two steps would get rid of microplastic pollution to a good extent already. It would also alleviate a range of other plastic-related environmental impacts.

Starting from the other end might not be overly productive.

Episode 3:

This is the first of a two-part episode on environmental pollution with microplastics. In this episode, I have a chat with Martin Wagner, an Associate Professor from the University of Trondheim in Norway who was visiting our University a couple of weeks back.

I’ll follow that up with some of my own thoughts and a reflection on recently published literature in the next episode of Our Chemicalized World.

Episode 2: A chat about Glyphosate

In this episode I critique a recent video on glyphosate that was produced for the Austrian television. I find the clip heavily biased and explain why. Afterwards I talk a bit about some details in a new report that summarizes the toxicological profile of glyphosate

Episode 1: European pesticide authorization and the Chlorothalonil ban

I talk a bit about pesticides, what they are and how they are regulated and risk assessed in Europe. Hopefully not too dry and boring, but it’s essential background for discussing potential pesticide impacts on human health or the environment. And just 7 minutes, so bear with me…

In the second half of the podcast, I take take a somewhat closer look at one particular fungicide, chlorothalonil. The compound has just been banned a couple of days ago. I’ll explore why this decision was taken, and some of the reactions to this decision.

Episode 0: Intro to the podcast

This is the introductory episode of “Our Chemicalized World”, a podcast about chemicals and their impacts on human health and the environment. So, this is about chemical hazards, exposures, about risks and safety. About using chemicals and about avoiding them. About testing chemicals for their toxic effects, about measuring and estimating their occurrence in the human body and the environment.

I am starting this activity in order to explore an issue that I find important for all of us, given that we are using synthetic chemicals in every part of our daily life. The problem is that chemical production and use is truly a double-edged sword. So, let’s explore the popular myths, the inconvenient facts and the science behind it.