Risk Communication: Who’s Educating Whom?

After a mishap at an industrial plant, company officials say there is no danger to people living nearby. At a public meeting on the siting of a hazardous waste facility, experts report that engineering design specifications are such that the chances of harm to human health are one in a million. Researchers from prestigious universities write that toxins in commonplace foods, like peanut butter, are more likely to harm human health than drinking contaminated well water. These statements are examples of risk communication. In the context of environmental risk assessment, risk communicators are viewed as experts or officials who inform the public, politicians, or news media about potential hazards associated with industries (e.g., nuclear power generation), technologies (e.g., incineration of wastes), chemicals (e.g., pesticides), or behaviors (e.g., not using condoms).