A health scare can be broadly defined as a social phenomenon whereby the public at large comes to fear some threat to health, based on suppositions which are nearly always not well-founded. In 2009, an ABC News article listed "The Top 10 Health Scares of the Decade": "Some of these threats turned out to be almost nonexistent. Others were arguably overblown. Some caused widespread harm." They listed the following scares:
Swine flu (H1N1) Bisphenol A (BPA) Lead paint on toys from China Trans fats Bird flu (H5N1) Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) Anthrax Cell phones.
See also List of health scares Health crisis Aspartame controversy Dental amalgam controversy Thiomersal and vaccines Water fluoridation controversy COVID-19
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