Health scare
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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]
See also[edit]
- List of health scares
- Health crisis
- Aspartame controversy
- Dental amalgam controversy
- Thiomersal and vaccines
- Water fluoridation controversy
- COVID-19
References[edit]
- ^ 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.