A number of advisors to the chemical industry have called the precautionary principle unscientific and dangerous. True, the precautionary principle does shift the burden of proof for harmlessness onto the producers of toxic chemicals. Most people readily accept such a shift in the case of the pharmaceutical industry, which must show safety and efficacy before marketing a new drug. The rationale for placing such requirements on the drug corporations was that humans would be directly exposed to drugs, so safety had to be shown and the need for the new drug established. If the producer's estimate of harmlessness turned out to be wrong, the large bond would be forfeited to pay the incurred costs.
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