Squeaky Clean? Not Even Close

"'The basic reality is that the risks that scare people and the risks that kill people are very different,' said Dr. Peter M. Sandman, a risk communication consultant in Princeton, N.J. 'Risks that you control,' Dr. Sandman said, 'are much less a source of outrage than risks that are out of your control. In the case of mad cow, it feels like it's beyond my control. I can't tell if my meat has prions in it or not. I can't see it, I can't smell it. Whereas dirt in my own kitchen is very much in my own control. I can clean my sponges. I can clean the floor.'
Dread is another factor, Dr. Sandman said. People can deal with sick stomachs, but they absolutely dread the idea of rotting brains. "

My wife has often said this about her fellow students who worked in chemical laboratories -- that because they "knew" the risks that they were willing to take them. This article would seem to go along these lines -- but in the kitchen.

Of course, a lot of people probably don't know the risks. But even if they did, they probably wouldn't change their habits very much.