ABSTRACT
Public concern about risk stems from earthquakes, fires, and hurricanes to asbestos, radon emissions, ozone depletion, toxins in food and water, etc. Laypeople and experts disagree on risk estimates for many environmental problems. A study was performed that compared the responses of two groups, 15 national risk assessment experts, and 40 members of the League of Women Voters on the risks of 30 activities and technologies. The League members rated nuclear power as the number 1 risk, while experts numbered it at 20, and the League ranked X-rays at 22 while the experts gave it a rank of 7. The study was based on a list of 31 environmental problems. From this study, areas of relatively high risk but low EPA effort/concern include indoor radon, indoor air pollution, stratospheric ozone depletion, global warming, nonpoint sources, discharges to estuaries, coastal waters and oceans, other pesticide risks, accidental releases of toxics, consumer products, and worker exposures.
