From baby bottles to shower curtains, iPods to lipstick, and “new car smell” to non-stick frying pans, thousands of news stories have warned the American public about the hidden dangers of toxic chemicals in everyday items. But a new survey of scientists specializing in toxicology calls into question the risks associated with many of these chemicals as they are routinely depicted in the media.
Majorities of toxicologists rate most government agencies as accurately portraying chemical risks, but they rate leading environmental activist groups as overstating risks, according to the survey by George Mason University researchers.
According to survey director Dr. Robert Lichter, “This survey suggests that the public doesn’t get a full and balanced picture of chemical risk.”
Society of Toxicology (SOT) Vice-President Dr. Michael Holsapple adds, “Ultimately, the media and scientists share the responsibility for how chemical risks are portrayed to the public.”
When asked to agree or disagree with statements about chemical safety and regulation:
- 26% believe cosmetics pose a significant health risk
- 33% believe food additives pose a significant health risk
- 55% believe pesticides pose a significant health risk
- 53% believe chemicals cause endocrine disruption
- Only 10% believe organic or “natural” products are inherently safer
- Only 6% believe that any exposure to a harmful chemical is unacceptable
- 69% say chemicals do not need to be regulated according to the precautionary principle
- Only 23% say the U.S. regulatory system is inferior to Europe’s
- 54% say U.S. regulators are not doing a good job explaining chemical risks
Despite recent controversies in the news over the safety of commonly used chemicals, few toxicologists believe they pose a high health risk, according to the survey.
- 3% see Teflon as having a high degree of risk
- 3% see genetically modified organisms as high risk
- 9% see Bisphenol A, a component of many plastics, as high risk
- 11% see phthalates, which make vinyl flexible, as high risk
- 12% see high fructose corn syrup, used in soft drinks, as high risk
By comparison, 26% rate sunlight as posing a high health risk, as do 29% for aflatoxin, a naturally-occurring fungus found in peanut butter, and 35% for mercury.
Rate How Organizations Portray Risks
Toxicologists overwhelmingly say that environmental activist groups overstate the health risks of chemicals. But they also say industry groups underplay the risks.
- 96% say Greenpeace overstates the health risks of chemicals
- 80% say the Environmental Defense Fund overstates chemical risks
- 79% say the Environmental Working Group, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Center for Science in the Public Interest overstate the risks
- 57% say the American Chemistry Council understates chemical risks
- 60% say the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) understates chemical risks
In contrast, majorities say that most U.S. governmental agencies accurately portray risk, with only the EPA (40%) and the CPSC (47%) falling below a majority
Rate the Media Coverage
Toxicologists almost unanimously believe the media does a poor job covering basic scientific concepts and explaining risk.
- 90% say media coverage of risk lacks balance and diversity
- 97% say the media doesn’t distinguish good studies from bad studies
- 96% say the media doesn’t distinguish correlation from causation
- 96% say the media doesn’t explain that “the dose makes the poison.”Almost three out of four toxicologists believe the news media pays too much attention to individual studies as opposed to the overall evidence (74%), and to individual scientists as opposed to the broader community (73%)
- Over two out of three toxicologists (68%) believe the news media pays too much attention to studies put out by environmental groups, compared to only 27% and 18% who see too much media attention to studies by government and private sector scientists, respectively
In a stunning finding, WebMD and Wikipedia are seen as more reliable than traditional news sources for information about chemical risks.
- 56% say WebMD accurately portrays chemical risks
- 45% say Wikipedia accurately portrays chemical risks
- By contrast, no more than 15% say that leading national newspapers, news magazines, and television networks accurately portray chemical risks
- Over 80% say that leading national newspapers, news magazines, and television networks overstate chemical risks
This survey of 937 members of the Society of Toxicology (SOT) was
administered online from Jan 27 to March 2 by Harris Interactive on
behalf of the Statistical Assessment Service (STATS) and Center for
Health and Risk Communication at George Mason University.
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