Scientific risk refers to the health risk posed by a compound and is based on toxicity data gathered in animal and human studies. Perceived risk is based primarily on emotional response to a perceived threat. The Risk Management Program also stipulates that industries communicate how the public should respond to emergencies resulting from a spill or release.
All matter is composed of chemical elements.
Although most of us understand this basic scientific fact, we often lack an understanding about what can make a chemical toxic. There is a lethal dose of caffeine in approximately 100 cups of strong coffee. There is a lethal dose of aspirin in a bottle of 100 tablets. We survive because we do not take in 100 cups of coffee or 200 pounds of potatoes or an entire bottle of aspirin all at one time. We metabolize or excrete them unchanged without their doing any damage.