Mad Cows and Mother's Milk: The Perils of Poor Risk Communication - Softcover

Powell, Douglas; Leiss, William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0773516190 ISBN 13: 9780773516199

Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1998

Synopsis

The first case study deals with the mad cow fiasco of 1996, one of the most expensive and tragic examples of poor risk management in the last twenty-five years. For ten years the British government failed to acknowledge the possibility of a link between mad cow disease and Creuzfeldt-Jakob disease, the human equivalent, until increased scientific evidence and public pressure forced them to take action, resulting in the slaughter of more than one million cattle. The second study looks at what is commonly known as hamburger disease, caused by a virulent form of the E. coli bacterium, which has struck thousands and killed over thirty people in the last few years. Despite its widespread effects, it is unclear whether scientific knowledge on preventing the disease is reaching the public. Other case studies include the use of a genetically engineered hormone to increase milk production in cows, health risks associated with silicone breast implants, public controversies surrounding dioxins and PCBs, and the introduction of agricultural biotechnology. These case studies show that institutions routinely fail to communicate the scientific basis of various high-profile risks. These failures to inform the public make it difficult for governments, industry, and society to manage risk controversies sensibly and often result in massive costs. With its detailed analyses of specific risk management controversies, Mad Cows and Mother's Milk will help us avoid future mistakes.

About this title

About the Authors

CA

William Leiss, a fellow and past-president of the Royal Society of Canada, is author or senior co-author of ten books including In the Chamber of Risks and, with Douglas Powell, Mad Cows and Mother's Milk, now in its second edition.

Edition details

• Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0773516190
• ISBN 13: 9780773516199
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320