With chemicals and other manufactured products it was at one time up to the public to show that the products were unsafe. Over time, the burden of proof has been shifting to the manufacturers to prove safety. For example, pharmaceuticals must be proven to be safe and effective before they are permitted. Things to remember In general, it is up to the person making a claim to try to prove it. Do not be tricked into trying to disprove someone else's claim.
Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.
We do not have to prove that ozone depletion or global warming are real, or that the Bermuda Triangle is not real, to set public policy. Walton, Douglas, Arguments from Ignorance , The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1996. Written by Jim Norton Visit my practical skepticism page Visit my anti-environmental myths home page. The text on these pages may be freely copied, distributed and posted as long as my name, this statement and the URL are included.