ABSTRACT
Environmental risk communication is one of the more important problems that this country faces. Since 1987, public concerns about the environment have grown faster than concern about virtually any other national problem [1]. Some people are suffering (and in some cases dying) because they do not know when to worry and when to calm down. They do not know when to demand action to reduce risk or when to relax because risks are trivial or even nonexistent. The key, of course, is to pick the right worries and right actions. Unfortunately, when it comes to health and the environment, society does not do that well. The government and media together have failed to communicate clearly what is a risk and what is not a risk.
