Chemical free is a term used in marketing to imply that a product is safe, healthy or environmentally friendly because it only contains natural ingredients.[1] The term is a misnomer, as all substances and objects are composed entirely of chemicals and energy. The term chemical is roughly a synonym for matter, and all substances, such as water and air, are chemicals.
The use of the term chemical free in advertising to indicate that a product is free of synthetic chemicals, and the tolerance of its use in this fashion by the United Kingdom's Advertising Standards Authority, has been the subject of criticism.[2]
A study on American undergraduates' understanding of the term chemical, conducted by chemist Gayle Nicoll in 1997, noted that "People may hold both a scientific and layman's definition of a chemical without linking the two together in any way. They may or may not consciously distinguish that the term 'chemical' has different connotations depending on the situation."[3]
↑ Gayle Nicoll (April 1, 1997). "'Chemical-Free' Foods: An Investigation of Student's Definitions of a Chemical". Journal of Chemical Education. 74 (4): 455. Bibcode:1997JChEd..74..455N. doi:10.1021/ed074p455.
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