The Association of Greek Chemists (AGC) once again reminds us all that the 11th of March has been established since 1995 as a Pan-Hellenic Chemistry Day, aiming to inform the citizens that Chemistry is the basic science, which can formulate all the essential questions referring to life, but above all to provide the answers. From the philosophical questions of existence to the simple daily questions about health, quality of life, functioning of living organisms, saving natural resources, producing and using innovative materials, Chemistry is the science that has all the answers, and all the “solutions”.
A lot of times, "Chemistry" and "chemicals" are being referred to with negativity and as the causes of problems and damages, something that is not natural and therefore responsible for the sufferings of this world.
How unfair and how unscientific these references are! Unfair, because life is Chemistry. Small neurotransmitter "explosions", of messenger chemicals in brain cells are responsible for our feelings and behaviors. When dopamine floods brain cells, humans set goals and fill with pleasure when they fulfil them, while the blast of oxytocin, the hormone of embrace, fills them with tenderness and feelings of confidence. It is another chemical substance, serotonin, which prevents depression and another collagen that allows the skin to be elastic.
It is the development of the science of chemistry that has improved health, extended life expectancy, brought us new materials that produced the explosion of technology, reduced hunger, made life cleaner, safer and colorful. The palette of colors from which we can easily choose today is an achievement of Chemistry with a life of just over a hundred years.
There are also problems caused by the development of Chemistry, accidents, overconsumption of natural resources, bad practices, product failures, management of hazardous substances, but it is unscientific to put the blame on Science.
There is no bad science, as there are no bad discoveries, or bad products. There are bad practices and misuse, and these are associated with lack of knowledge and inadequate training.
Now that we are in the first half of the 21st century, a century that will be characterized by the explosion of technology and the evolution of the 4th Industrial Revolution, a model-citizen must be trained to be a citizen that can separate between scientific and false information, evaluate, think, judge, organize, co-operate, influence and decide.
In order to obtain these multifactorial skills, structured and coherent study of Chemistry within the educational system could provide both the citizen and the future scientist, not only with knowledge, but above all with an organized, rational and documented structure of thinking that will form the platform of the fundamental knowledge upon which any new information will be firmly grounded.
The upgrading of Chemistry in the education system is an investment in knowledge and is inextricably linked not only with the training of responsible citizens but also with the establishment of adequate conditions for sustainable economic and technological development based on modern primary and secondary production and services of high added value.
AGC wishes that the Pan-Hellenic Chemistry Day 2018 will be the trigger to see the modern world and the realistic prospects through the window that the knowledge of Chemistry opens. It is our wish to build a future in which good practices will be more than bad, based on consistency, persistence and hard work. We seek development based on science and production that will benefit more, and respect for man and the environment will be prerequisites.
