Health scare

A health scare can be broadly defined as a social phenomenon whereby the public at large comes to fear some threat to health, based on suppositions which are nearly always not well-founded.^[1]

In 2009, an ABC News article listed "The Top 10 Health Scares of the Decade":^[2] "Some of these threats turned out to be almost nonexistent. Others were arguably overblown. Some caused widespread harm." They listed the following scares:

Swine flu (H1N1)
Bisphenol A (BPA)
Lead paint on toys from China
Trans fats
Bird flu (H5N1)
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
Anthrax
Cell phones.^[2]

References

^ Hooker C (January 2010). "Health scares: Professional priorities". Health (London). 14 (1): 3–21. doi:10.1177/1363459309341875. hdl:2123/12086. PMID 20051427. S2CID 21893028.
^ ^a ^b Brownstein, Joseph (7 December 2009). "The Top 10 Health Scares of the Decade". United States: ABC News. Some of these threats turned out to be almost nonexistent. Others were arguably overblown. Some caused widespread harm.

[hooker-1] Hooker C (January 2010). "Health scares: Professional priorities". Health (London). 14 (1): 3–21. doi:10.1177/1363459309341875. hdl:2123/12086. PMID 20051427. S2CID 21893028.

[Brownstein-2] Brownstein, Joseph (7 December 2009). "The Top 10 Health Scares of the Decade". United States: ABC News. Some of these threats turned out to be almost nonexistent. Others were arguably overblown. Some caused widespread harm.

[1]

Health scare

See also

References