Commentary: Risks and Their Acceptability

Abstract

Every day we take risks. When I get up in the morning, the first thing I do is turn on the light above my bed. Because my house has old wiring and the switch is metal, I get a slight tingle, which suggests that I might electrocute myself. There is a small risk of that-500 people die of electrocution every year in the United States. I wash my face in the morning with soap. But modern soap is not just pure sodium stearate; it contains cosmetic additives, many of which could be carcinogens, so there is a little risk involved in even that ordinary activity. I put on my shirt, which has been bleached. If I put it under ultraviolet light, it would show the marks of bleaching because bleaches are fluorescent. Does the known correlation between fluorescent materials and carcinogenic materials tell me that the bleach is slightly carcinogenic? When I walk downstairs, I recall that 15,000 Americans die each year in falls. But 10,000 of those 15,000 were over 65, so perhaps walking downstairs is not too dangerous-yet. At breakfast, do I have sugar or saccharin in my tea? Sugar will make me fat and being fat is a major preventable cause of death; but saccharin has given cancer to rats and may give cancer to people. Tea or coffee? Both contain caffeine and pancreas cancer