Participate In The Chemical Reaction

Getting the conversation started is always a difficult task. As journalists and bloggers, we toss out information that we think has meaning to our audience in the hope that people will read it and react — we value your inputs, whether you’re raising or rebutting a point.

I am pleased with the number of visitors who have perused the Chemical Reaction blog. But I'd love to see more comments.

I am certainly no Pollyanna. I know for the most part people are more comfortable observing than interacting — especially in a faceless arena. But anonymity should also encourage bravado.

I'm not suggesting that you use the medium to perpetuate falsehoods or make it your very own bully pulpit. But our blog is a perfect place for you to ask a question or make a comment with some sense of anonymous security.

To date, we’ve added numerous posts on varying topics, including:

“I am certainly no Pollyanna. I know for the most part people are more comfortable observing than interacting.”

- Traci Purdum, senior digital editor

• CFATS – Will Congress Help? This posting discusses the reauthorization of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) (details of the mandate are covered in “Defuse CFATS Challenges.” It also asks how chemical processing sites are dealing with adversaries.

• Climate Change and its impact on Industrial Production. Girish Malhotra, a Chemical Processing Ask the Experts panel member, notes that climate change is a major discussion point, and that emission limits will be put in place. He also states that since global warming will affect us all, we will have to compromise and live with the new rules whatever they might be.

• Emergency Preparedness Saves Lives. This post points out the usefulness of  the U.S. Chemical Safety Board's Web site. That site is full of videos, news and articles all aimed at helping you make your site a safer place to work.

• The Case of the Killer Rubber Duck. I use my blog time to point out an upcoming book that promises to reveal how "Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Life Affects Our Health."

• Letter to the Editor Re "Operators get More Help." This thoughtful letter to the editor presents a reader's perspective regarding operator training. While it is technically a letter, it reads more like an article.

• Chemical Worker's Song on YouTube. This post is just for fun. It takes readers to YouTube to listen to a song that talks about working at a chemical plant.

Surely one of these topics, or the myriad more that reside at the Chemical Reaction blog site, can spark a reaction from you. Hope to see your comments soon.

---

Traci Purdum is Chemical Processing's senior digital editor. You can e-mail her at tpurdum@putman.net. Or better yet, post something to the blog.