Scientists and nonscientists alike now generally accept the hypothesis that many cancers are caused by agents such as radiant energy and chemicals that are released into the environment without prior testing of the risk they pose for man. Unfortunately, the news media have taken advantage of this awareness by sounding alarums and heightening public anxiety whenever evidence, no matter how tenuous or unconfirmed, is presented linking a commonly available substance with cancer. Some writers have referred to this as "the sky is falling" or the "Chicken Little" phenomenon.
Allegations against artificial sweeteners, atomic energy plants, food colorings and preservatives, pharmaceutical products, and industrial chemicals are made almost daily and keep the public in a state of fear that borders on hysteria. Tests that form the basis of these reports are often conducted with dosages that exceed any to which man could be exposed, are administered for periods that equal the