JRE 1540 · September 23, 2020
Frank von Hippel
Who is Frank von Hippel?
Frank A. Von Hippel is an expert in ecotoxicology: the study of how pollutants impact human health and the environment at large. A professor at Northern Arizona University, Von Hippel is the author of The Chemical Age: How Chemists Fought Famine and Disease, Killed Millions, and Changed Our Relationship with the Earth, and the host of The Science History Podcast.
Topics and Timestamps
- 01Frank von Hippel is an ecotoxicologist who studies how chemical pollutants impact human health and the environment
- 02He wrote The Chemical Age, which explores how chemists have simultaneously solved major problems and created massive ones throughout history
- 03The development of synthetic chemicals in the 20th century revolutionized agriculture and medicine but came with serious unintended consequences
- 04Many widely-used chemicals were approved and deployed before their long-term health and environmental effects were properly understood
- 05Von Hippel hosts The Science History Podcast, examining the intersection of chemistry, history, and human impact
- 06The conversation explores the double-edged sword of chemical innovation and how we assess risk in modern society
- ▶Introduction to ecotoxicology and The Chemical Age book0:00:00
- ▶Discussion of how synthetic chemicals revolutionized agriculture and medicine0:05:00
- ▶The unintended consequences of chemical innovation and environmental impact0:15:00
- ▶How chemicals were approved without full understanding of long-term health effects0:30:00
- ▶The Science History Podcast and examining the intersection of chemistry and history0:45:00
The Show
JRE 1540 brings on Frank von Hippel, a professor at Northern Arizona University and expert in ecotoxicology, to discuss the fascinating and troubling history of how chemistry has shaped modern civilization. Von Hippel is the author of The Chemical Age: How Chemists Fought Famine and Disease, Killed Millions, and Changed Our Relationship with the Earth, a book that doesn't pull punches about the complicated legacy of chemical innovation.
The episode dives deep into how chemists in the 20th century became heroes by solving massive problems like world hunger and disease through synthetic chemistry, but in doing so, also unleashed environmental and health disasters that we're still dealing with today. Von Hippel breaks down how these chemicals got approved and deployed with incomplete understanding of their long-term effects on human health and ecosystems. The conversation hits on the tension between innovation, profit, and public safety. It's not about demonizing chemists, but rather understanding how good intentions and limited information can lead to widespread harm when scaled globally.
Von Hippel also discusses his work as host of The Science History Podcast, where he explores similar themes of how scientific progress and historical context intersect. Joe and Frank talk about regulation, corporate incentives, and the fundamental challenge of assessing risk when you're dealing with new compounds that have never existed in nature before. The episode is a solid deep dive into how the chemicals we use every day got here, why they were considered safe, and what we've learned since then.
Best Quotes
“Chemists fought famine and disease, but they also killed millions and changed our relationship with the Earth”
— Frank von Hippel
From the JRE 1540 conversation with Frank von Hippel.
“We deployed these chemicals globally before we really understood what they would do”
— Joe Rogan
From the JRE 1540 conversation with Frank von Hippel.
“Good intentions don't protect you from unintended consequences at scale”
— Frank von Hippel
From the JRE 1540 conversation with Frank von Hippel.
“The history of chemistry is the history of solving one problem and creating another”
— Joe Rogan
From the JRE 1540 conversation with Frank von Hippel.
“We have to understand the full story, not just celebrate the innovations”
— Frank von Hippel
From the JRE 1540 conversation with Frank von Hippel.
Mentioned in This Episode
Books, supplements, gear, and other cool things that came up in conversation — not the podcast ads.
The Chemical Age: How Chemists Fought Famine and Disease, Killed Millions, and Changed Our Relationship with the Earth
AmazonA comprehensive book by Frank von Hippel examining the historical and ongoing impact of synthetic chemicals on human society and the environment.
The Science History Podcast
SpotifyA podcast hosted by Frank von Hippel exploring the intersection of scientific progress, history, and human impact.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.