Birth defects, cancer, chemicals, and public hysteria.

ABSTRACT

The "media" consistently inform us of all the "things" that are dangerous to us. However, time/space constraints, along with lack of knowledge and understanding of the area, often lead to inaccurate and/or insufficient dissemination of information. The areas of cancer and birth defects are particularly misrepresented. Such dissemination of inaccurate/incomplete/misleading information has resulted in almost a state of hysteria. As a result, the public's perception of the role of chemicals in the incidences of cancer and birth defects is inconsistent with what has actually been documented in these areas. Although no one wants to be exposed to risks, people generally do not wish to be encumbered with unnecessary safety precautions. Thus, accurate information in the areas of carcinogenicity and teratogenicity should be documented in an effort to show how one can better assess the risks involved in work/home exposures to specific chemicals. A better understanding of how society perceives risk should enable one to better appraise the situation when confronted with information that could lead to "chemophobia." The consequences of misinformation about drugs and other synthetic chemicals have been particularly unfortunate with pregnant women negligence in necessary drug use, unnecessary anxiety, and termination of planned pregnancies without reasonable cause.