Why We Don't Heed
Warning Labels
ALISON ASHTON SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
acks of cigarettes, bottles
of booze and a host of oth-
er potentially dangerous
products are plastered
with warning labels, but why do
so many consumers ignore them?
Because, for many users, the
benefits outweigh the risks.
"If someone perceives a bene-
fit in not following a certain safe-
ty rule or warning, they are likely
to violate the rule or disregard the
warning," says Mark Lehto, as-
sociate professor of industrial en-
gineering at Purdue University.
For example, glue stinks, but
most of us ignore its foul odor and
use the stuff wherever
it's most conve-
nient. Lehto
proved this by
giving 54 study
subjects a bottle of
glue to use, and
only one person
heeded the warn-
ing on the label to
use the stuff in a
well-ventilated
room.
"This study
suggests that if
someone's main
goal is to complete
a task, the bene-
fits he perceives
in finishing may
outweigh the
risks of skipping the safety step,"
he explains.
Expediency is often the excuse
for ignoring safety warnings; so
is having fun. "If someone's out
to have a good time, the benefits
he sees in having fun may out-
weigh the risks he sees in driving
drunk. If you want people to be-
have more safely, you need some-
thing more dramatic than a
warning label," says Lehto.
That's why Lehto spends
much of his time seeking more
effective ways to convince people
to behave responsibly. He be-
lieves advertising campaigns that
make nondrinkers (a k a desig-
nated drivers) look hip are more
effective than a warning label
slapped on a can of beer.
p
consumption down to 2.4 grams,
or just over 1 teaspoon. Most
people consume twice that
amount.
Known as the silent killer,
high blood pressure afflicts 25
percent of the adult population.
Researchers believe that lower-
ing salt intake will reduce the
number of people who develop
hypertension by 20 percent.
Simply skipping salt at the
table probably isn't enough to
reduce consumption to recom-
mended levels because food man-
ufacturers use it with such a
heavy hand.
"It's crucial that
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A panel of experts meeting at
the Columbia University School
of Public Health recently urged
everyone to reduce their salt
intake. For years, people with
hypertension (high blood pres-
sure) were told to pass on the
salt, but now researchers say all
of us should keep daily sodium
sodium is reduced in the food sup-
ply and that alternatives are avail-
able to consumers," says Patricia
Elmer, R.D., Ph.D., of the Uni-
versity of Minnesota. "We also
need to give people enough infor-
mation on how to translate in-
structions to reduce sodium into
real-life situations."
That means learning to read
food labels and selecting low-sodi-
um and salt-free products when
available Some people may even
need to re-educate their palate
with salt substitutes and other
salt-free seasonings.
Researchers also believe that
a diet rich in potassium may mit-
igate the effects of excess dietary
sodium. Clinical studies have
shown that potassium supple-
ments lower blood pressure.
"In areas of the world where
potassium intake is low and sodi-
um intake is high, hypertension
is more prevalent than in areas
where potassium intake is high-
er," says Daniel Jones, M.D., of
the University of Mississippi
Medical Center.
So if you can't sacrifice salt, at
least eat more bananas.
Alison Ashton writes for Copley
News Service
WARNING page 70
Skip The Salt
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