Mad cows and mother's milk : the perils of poor risk communication / William Leiss and Douglas Powell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Leiss, William, 1939-

Contributor:

Powell, Douglas Alan, 1962-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Health risk communication.

Health risk assessment.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (321 p.)

Edition:

2nd ed.

Place of Publication:

Montreal ; Ithaca : McGill-Queen's University Press, 1997.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The first case study deals with the mad cow fiasco of 1996, one of the most expensive and tragic examples of poor risk management in the last twenty-five years. For ten years the British government failed to acknowledge the possibility of a link between mad cow disease and Creuzfeldt-Jakob disease, the human equivalent, until increased scientific evidence and public pressure forced them to take action, resulting in the slaughter of more than one million cattle. The second study looks at what is commonly known as hamburger disease, caused by a virulent form of the E. coli bacterium, which has struck thousands and killed over thirty people in the last few years. Despite its widespread effects, it is unclear whether scientific knowledge on preventing the disease is reaching the public. Other case studies include the use of a genetically engineered hormone to increase milk production in cows, health risks associated with silicone breast implants, public controversies surrounding dioxins and PCBs, and the introduction of agricultural biotechnology. These case studies show that institutions routinely fail to communicate the scientific basis of various high-profile risks. These failures to inform the public make it difficult for governments, industry, and society to manage risk controversies sensibly and often result in massive costs. With its detailed analyses of specific risk management controversies, Mad Cows and Mother's Milk will help us avoid future mistakes.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Waiting for the Science

Mad Cows or Crazy Communications?

A Diagnostic for Risk Communication Failures

Dioxins, or Chemical Stigmata

Hamburger Hell: Better Risk Communication for Better Health

Silicone Breasts: The Implant Risk Controversy

Waiting for the Regulators

Lost in Regulatory Space: rbst

Gene Escape,or the Pall of Silence over Plant Biotechnology Risk

Mother's Milk: Communicating the Risks of PCBS in Canada and the Far North

Ten Lessons

Appendix

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-282-85454-2

9786612854545

0-7735-6664-3

OCLC:

180704113