Bill Leiss of Queen's Policy Studies, co-author of Mad Cows and Mother’s Milk: The Perils of Poor risk Communication is one of two risk communications experts in Canada. He can talk to you about the importance of risk communication related to the recent discovery of Mad Cow Disease in northern Alberta.

Dr. Leiss says that communicating the nature and consequences of environmental and health risks is one of the most problematic areas of public policy. Given the perceived risks associated with the food we eat, chemicals in the environment, and modern technologies, consumers need clear and timely explanations of the nature of those risks - but rarely get them. How the public perceives a risk, whether nuclear energy or agbiotech, often has more to do with communication than the substance of the risk.