Evaluating chemical risks: results of a survey of the British Toxicology Society

Abstract

1 Members of the British Toxicology Society partici pated in a survey to determine their attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions regarding risks from chemicals. Similar surveys had previously been conducted with toxicologists and members of the general public in the United States and Canada. Data from 312 completed questionnaires were analyzed.

2 In general, the British toxicologists judged risks to be quite low for most hazards, with the exception of cigarette smoking and asbestos. They tended to have quite favorable attitudes toward the use of chemicals and were confident about the adequacy of chemical regulations.

3 As in previous studies of toxicologists, women expressed higher perceptions of risk than did men and had consistently stronger anti-chemical attitudes.

4 Toxicologists working in industry had more favorable attitudes towards chemicals and their use than did those working in academic settings.

5 When asked to evaluate technical summaries of various animal studies there was considerable dis agreement among the respondents about the toxicity of the chemicals involved.

6 In general, British toxicologists were equivocal about the reliability of animal studies in predicting human effects (particularly carcinogenicity) probably be cause of the belief that animal studies overestimate risk. However, they were rather confident that human health risks could be assessed reasonably accurately.

Keywords

risk assessment risk attitudes risk perception British Toxicology Society

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Kraus N. , Malmfors T. , Slovic P. Intuitive toxicology: Expert and lay judgments of chemical risks. Risk Analysis 1992; 12: 215-232.

Rozin P. , Millman L. , Nemeroff C. Operation of the laws of sympathetic magic in disgust and other domains. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1986; 50: 703-712.

Krewski D. et al. Health risk perception in Canada I: Rating hazards, sources of information and responsibility for health protection. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment 1995; 1: 117-132.

Slovic P. , Flynn J. , Mertz CK , Mullican L. Health-Risk Perception in Canada (Report No. 93-EHD-170). Department of National Health and Welfare, Ottawa, 1993.

Slovic P. et al. Intuitive toxicology II: Expert and lay judgments of chemical risks in Canada. Risk Analysis 1995; 15: 661-675.

Dake K. Orienting dispositions in the perception of risk: An analysis of contemporary worldviews and cultural biases. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 1991; 22: 61-82.

Peters E. , Slovic P. The role of affect and worldviews as orienting dispositions in the perception and acceptance of nuclear power. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 1996; 26: 1427-1453.

Ames BN Dietary carcinogens and anticarcinogens. Science 1983; 221: 1256-1263.

Malmfors T. , Slovic P. Risk perception: The subjective influence on risk assessment. Intuitive toxicology III: Expert judgments of chemical risks in Europe. In Toxicology and Air Pollution Assessment 1995. Dijon, France, pp. 203-218.

10.

Griffiths S. Design and evaluation of carcinogenicity studies: Is the existing rodent bioassay meaningful? [Summary of the Second International Conference of the International Federation of Societies of Toxicologic Pathology entitled 'Carcinogens: New methods- interpretation -risk assessment,' Tours, France, April 1995]. CMR News 1995; 13: 6-7.