ABSTRACT
Risk is one of the most dynamic and potentially charged aspects of scientific and technical communication. Issues of risk arising from science and technology capture the attention of the public, of policymakers, and of the media in such a manner as to often take on a life of their own. As a result, scientists and professional science communicators are sometimes stymied in their efforts to appropriately communicate risk. It is therefore important that science communicators have a good understanding of how people perceive risk, as well as how best to communicate it.
