Consider the Bhopal incident, Chernobyl and the Mad Cow crisis. The obstacles we face in communicating risk are not limited to such acute Bhopal or Chernobyl-type accidents. In a world where markets have replaced armies as a source of strength and stamina, the power of economics has precipitated another chronic disaster for humankind. The chronic disaster is tobacco. Tobacco counts for over 3 million deaths per year worldwide.
Tobacco abuse continues despite the evidence.
It is backed by a multi-billion dollar industry that develops new markets and marketing schemes that condone cigarette smoking. We know the harm is not just cigarette use and lung cancer. One quarter of American children are exposed to second hand smoke in their homes each day. Certain risks are consistently supported with evidence that children and infants exposed to environmental tobacco smoke at home have significantly elevated rates of respiratory symptoms and respiratory tract infections, middle ear infection, severity of asthma and sudden infant death syndrome. It is an example of how NOT to deal with risk.