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Chemophobia (or chemphobia) is an irrational aversion to or prejudice against chemicals or chemistry. The phenomenon has been ascribed both to a well-founded concern over the potential adverse effects of synthetic chemicals, and to an irrational fear of these substances because of misconceptions about their potential for harm.〔〔 ==Definition and uses== There are differing opinions on the proper usage of the word Chemophobia. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry defines chemophobia as an "irrational fear of chemicals".〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry )〕 According to the American Council on Science and Health, chemophobia is a fear of synthetic substances arising from "scare stories" and exaggerated claims about their dangers prevalent in the media. Despite containing the suffix -phobia, the majority of written work focusing on the treatment of Chemophobia describes it as a non-clinical aversion or prejudice, and not as a phobia in the standard medical definition. While the treatment of phobias is generally focused on therapy, chemical education and public outreach seem to be effective ways of treating Chemophobia. Michelle Francl has written: "We are a chemophobic culture. Chemical has become a synonym for something artificial, adulterated, hazardous, or toxic." She characterizes chemophobia as "more like color blindness than a true phobia" because chemophobics are "blind" to most of the chemicals that they encounter: every substance in the universe is a chemical. Francl proposes that such misconceptions are not innocuous, as demonstrated in one case by local statutes opposing the fluoridation of public water despite documented cases of tooth loss and nutritional deficit. In terms of risk perception, naturally occurring chemicals feel safer than synthetic ones to most people. Consequently, people fear man-made or "unnatural" chemicals, while accepting natural chemicals that are known to be dangerous or poisonous. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Chemophobia」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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