The reality of risk.

What is risk? The issue is debated by Prof. Colin Blakemore (Oxford University), Sir Colin Berry (Royal London Hospital), Dr. Lynn Frewer (Institute of Food Research), Prof. Kenneth Macrae (Univ. of Surrey) and Dr. Michael Maier (Imperial College, London). Three areas of risk are examined: food, the health risks of mobile phones and the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. The panel discuss the way in which risk is perceived by the public and the government, and how different weightings are attached to different kinds of risk. The effectiveness of public health warnings and the public's trust in science form part of the discussion.