# How Economics Drives Safer Chemistry

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/paul-talks-science-7078474/how-economics-drives-safer-chemistry
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/paul-talks-science-7078474/how-economics-drives-safer-chemistry.md
Podcast: [Paul Talks Science](https://stenobird.com/podcast/paul-talks-science-7078474)
Published: 2025-07-07T05:00:01+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/paul-talks-science/episodes/How-Economics-Drives-Safer-Chemistry-e356etd
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/f816aa78/podcast/play/105118061/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2025-6-7%2F403421968-44100-2-2c2f4f934e3c.m4a
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/paul-talks-science-7078474/episodes/how-economics-drives-safer-chemistry
Duration seconds: 1374

## Resource

In this special episode of Paul Talks Science —the first in a series recorded during my visit to the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) at the University of Massachusetts Lowell—I sit down with TURI Director Baskut Tuncak to unpack how economics is playing a pivotal role in driving safer chemical practices. We explore the Institute's origins, the real-world impact of the Toxics Use Reduction Act, and how businesses are shifting away from hazardous substances—not because they're forced to, but because it makes economic sense. Baskut also reflects on his global work as a UN Special Rapporteur and explains why TURI’s locally rooted, solution-focused model could be a blueprint for change far beyond Massachusetts.

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/paul-talks-science-7078474/episodes/how-economics-drives-safer-chemistry/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/paul-talks-science-7078474/how-economics-drives-safer-chemistry.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.