Risk Communication and Public Health

Controversies about risk to public health regularly hit the news, whether about food safety, environmental issues, medical interventions, or "lifestyle" risks such as drinking. To those trying to manage or regulate risks, public reactions sometimes seem bizarre. To the public, the behaviour of those supposedly "in charge" can seem no less odd. Trust is currently at a premium. This new paperback edition of Risk Communication and Public Health brings together a wide variety of perspectives on risk communication, from the health professions, academia, campaigning organizations, government and its advisory committees, and independent consultancies and think tanks. It should be of interest not only to those involved in risk assessment or communication but to anyone interested in the role of science and the media in the political process, and how one bit of "the system" is responding to demands for greater openness and participation. While each chapter is self-contained, the discussion moves progressively through: an introduction to risk communication as a topic of research; studies of prominent cases and the lessons to be drawn from them; contributions to the wider debate about procedures, power, and institutions; and proposals for promoting "good practice" in risk communication, in Government, the Health Service and elsewhere.