Overview
This lesson focuses on the roles that scientists, industries, citizens, and government agencies play in protecting citizens from commercially produced chemicals.

Objectives
Estimated Time
Necessary Materials
Background Information
Teaching Procedure
Assessment Recommendations
Extension/Adaptation Ideas
Online Resources
Relevant National Standards

Objectives
Students will be able to:

• identify chemicals that were produced and used and are no longer used because of health concerns,
• identify current, potentially harmful chemicals and associated concerns,
• examine the legal process involved in controlling chemicals, and
• explain the problems or limitations of controlling chemicals.

Estimated Time
Four class periods: one period for introduction and viewing the recommended video clips, discussing background information, and organizing groups; one period for researching; one class to prepare media presentation; and one class to present research and reflect.

Necessary Materials

• Video: Trade Secrets
• Video camera, camera, audio recording device, desktop publishing software, or display boards and markers
• Computers with internet access or copies of printouts of selected sites
• Data Collection worksheet for student
• Presentation Rubric for teacher evaluation
• Reference materials on synthetic chemicals

Background Information
Since the beginning of the chemical revolution, thousands of chemicals have been synthetically produced and marketed, sometimes with relatively little documented testing. Some chemicals that were once widely used are now known to be hazardous for workers, consumers, or ecosystems. This late discovery may be in part due to the fact that certain chemicals require long-term exposure or time before any negative impact of the exposure is exhibited. In other cases, perhaps financial benefits of production or liability of notification might have prevented companies from modifying standards. It is important for citizens to be aware of these issues, which still surround the use of chemicals today.

Teaching Procedure

Day 1
1. Have students discuss their views on how well the government controls and protects workers and other citizens from exposure to hazardous chemicals.

2. Show video clip of Trade Secrets [42:30-1:15:38].

3. Have students discuss their views on public health after viewing the segment. Have them answer the following questions.
   • Is it possible that they (the students) may have been exposed to hazardous chemicals? It so, how do they think they were exposed?
   • Should the government do more to prevent or reduce exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals?
   • Are industries now doing enough to protect citizens and workers?
   • What, if anything, should citizens do?

4. Divide the students into 4 or 5 groups. Assign each group one of these areas of research.
   • Medical researchers
   • Industry
   • Citizen's interest group
   • Governmental agency
   • Politicians (optional)

Day 2
1. Each research group will work together to gather information on phthalates. There is a list of suggested websites under resources. Students may use the sites directly or information from the sites may be printed in advance. Additional information may be found in chemical reference books. After reviewing the information, each group should prepare a presentation of their position on the production and use of phthalates. The presentations should reflect the position that would be typical of their assigned area of research.

2. Students should complete the worksheet on risks and benefits of phthalates. This is provided as a PDF file for easy printing and use by the teacher.

3. Students should prepare a media presentation on their position. Presentations may include radio commercials, TV commercials, newspaper advertisements, and public exhibits. Presentations should be about 4 minutes in length. The presentations should state and justify the group's position, use facts, and identify or explain any concerns.

Day 3
1. Groups should complete the preparation of presentations.

2. Groups should complete a self-evaluation of their presentation. Each member or the group should complete the presentation rubric with the additional question on group participation

Day 4
1. Groups should share their media presentations.

2. After all groups have shared their presentations lead a class discussion on the issues. Have students in each group agree on the greatest concern. Reach a consensus on what the government, industries, medical researcher, and citizens should do.

3. Have individuals respond in a journal or notepaper to the following questions:
   • Would your research have been conducted differently if you had been assigned the position after the research?
   • There is always more than one side to a story. How do you decide on a position?

Assessment Recommendations

1. Worksheet on risks and benefits of phthalates should be evaluated for content.
2. Group self-assessment should be collected and reviewed. Teachers may combine the entire self-assessment as a part of the over-all grade or may choose to include only the group's assessment of group participation as a part of the over-all grade.
3. Individual journal entry should be evaluated for content. Students should be responding to the questions above. Are they addressing how the research might have differed if they had not been assigned a position in advance? Are they showing a reasonable thought process in deciding on a position? It isn't important that you like what they write. It is important that they are thinking.
4. The groups' media presentations should be evaluated using the same rubric as the self-evaluation

Extension/Adaptation Ideas
There are many synthetic chemicals that students may be interested in researching. For consistency, all students in a class should have the same chemical. Other synthetic chemicals that may be used are pesticides, plastics, PCBs, or xylene.

As an extension to the lesson, students may search newspapers and magazines for articles or advertisements involving synthetic chemicals.

On-line Resources

• Trade Secrets
  www.pbs.org/tradesecrets/problem/children.html
  www.pbs.org/tradesecrets/problem/bodyburden.html
• The Center for Children's Health and the Environment
  www.Childenvironment.org/
• The Environment Working Group
  www.EWG.org/
• American Chemistry Council (in response to the PBS Trade Secrets program)
  www.Abouttradesecrets.org/
• Phthalate Esters Panel
  www.phthalates.org/
• The Society of the Plastics Industry
  www.socplas.org/
• The Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Pesticide Programs
  www.epa.gov/pesticides

Relevant National Standards

1. Health Curriculum Standards
   (Established by the Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning.)

   Content Standard 2: Knows environmental and external factors that affect individual and community health (9-12)

   • #2 Knows how individuals can improve or maintain community health (e.g., becoming active in environmental and economic issues that affect health, assisting in the development of public health policies and laws, exercising voting privileges)
   • #4 Understands how the prevention and control of health problems are influenced by research and medical advances
   • #5 Knows how public health policies and government regulations (e.g., OSHA regulations, Right to Know laws, DSS regulations, licensing laws) impact health-related issues (e.g., safe food handling, food production controls, household waste disposal controls, clean air, disposal of nuclear waste)

2. Science Curriculum Standards
   (Established by the National Science Education Standards.)

   Content Standard G: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives (9-12)

   Personal and community health

   Students will understand that:
   • Hazards and the potential for accidents exist. Regardless of the environment, the possibility of injury, illness, disability, or death may be present. Humans have a variety of mechanisms--sensory, motor, emotional, social, and technological--that can reduce and modify hazards.

   Natural and human-induced hazards

   Students will understand that:
   • Human activities can enhance potential for hazards. Acquisition of resources, urban growth, and waste disposal can accelerate rates of natural change.
   • Natural and human-induced hazards present the need for humans to assess potential danger and risk. Many changes in the environment designed by humans bring benefits to society, as well as cause risks.
   • There are costs and trade-offs of various hazards. These range those with minor risk to a few people to major catastrophes with major risk to many people.

   Science and technology in local national, and global challenges

   Students will understand that:
   • Science and technology are essential social enterprises, but alone they can only indicate what can happen, not what should happen. The latter involves human decisions about the use of knowledge.
   • Progress in science and technology can be affected by social issues and challenges, risks, costs, and benefits.

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