Document 5bjomEDQ7QQngJkEGw19k0eb4

T. Mannor Page217; 1 MS: ROSENBERG:, Objection to the 2 form. 3 A. I don't think I've testified to 4 that or written .about that particularly; I was 5 more concerned.with what was available. 6 Q. You .disagree :with, that? ; 7 A'; That people! differ? ,;Noy I just 8 wondered-whetherT testified to it. No. I . 9 think people doidiffer.in their attitudes 10 towards risk; 11 Q. ; Did you agree with, me that as a , 12 genera] proposal, tradesmen.'and-workers differ , 13 in a way from, let's say, scientists, that;they 14 need a conditioning before they will.take 15 warnings-and risks to heart? 16 A. T.hat'stoo general:,a proposition 17 forme to agree or disagree. And it .really 18 isn't something that is at the.center.of my.. 19 research:which Was the.difference in risk .. 20 aversion. That's in. thoarea.of uptake whicb I 21 didn't do much in thiSiparticnlar research 22 enterprise. 1 researched what was available 23 publicly; 24 ... Q. Let me read you your testimony -- 25 A. Testimony;or deposition? ... < Page 219 1 generally, that's what I was finding difficulty 2 with your question. And if there is evidence 3 that people underestimate risks and 4 overestimate-capacities to protect.- 5 Q. Okay. . , 6 A. So for example, automobile 7 traffic, driving, for instancey,most people 8 think they're better than average drivers and 9 that can't be true. 10 Q. . Most.people cannot be better than 11 average? 12 A. That's right. 13 Q.-.... Workers have a tendency generally 14 to underestimate-- 15 A. People;I think is the phrase I 16 used. 17 Q. But you'made a distinction 18 between people and scientist, didn't you? 19 A. I say there.is good knowledge 20 that people do not;like to dwell on risks.. .. . 21 That's the phrase I use. That there are some 22 barriers to thafon dwelling on risk more .. 23 generally. As a consequence of that, people 24 whose job it is to-investigate risks have a 25 different likelihood of dwelling on them. Page 218 1 ;; Q. Trial testimony. This is on page . 2 3919 of yo.uc 101102 West Virginia trial.' 3 testimony. "And once asbestos was. something: 4 paid attention.Win. the national government, I 5 would think workers, not all, but workers would 6 have both have had the,opportunity .to hear. ; 7 about it, not say read, but, wear and. would have 8 every reason to pay attention to. it except .for , 9 one thing) which,is that thore;t$ goods :<v 10 knowledge available that people domHliketO' . 11 dwell on risks, thaLthere may be some barriers 12 to that which are.worth talking about and 13 that's why.scientist, would talk about it more. 14 than day-to-day .workers.", -i ;1''.i , 15 Do you. agree with that statement 16 today? 17 A. If I can understand ity 1 think 18 I'd agree with that statement. 19 Q. I will let you read. it, ; It's.-, 20 your testimony. 21 A. It doesn't meanithat it's .not ;, 22 complicated: The reason, I'm having trouble 23 here is that this is a claim about most people 24 not likely to. talk about risks. That there is 25 barriers to actually appreciating risk. More Page 220 1 Q. Your opinion, after reviewing the 2 media, newspapers, television, magazines, trade 3 journals, everything you looked at and your . . j j 4 research assistant looked at ten months, do you 5 feel like the media in general did a good job 6 in the late 1960's of getting the word out to 7 the common man that asbestos was dangerous? 8 A. If we leave exactly what a good : 9 job, an extensive job of attending to the 10 dangers of asbestos,-but not in every respect 11 and more in the.'19.70.'s than in.;the 1960's. I'm 12 particular I guess struck by the degree to ; 13 which newspapers all over the .country-picked up 14 articles by the AP and The New York Times. And 15 to that extent, articles were disseminated. 16 That's.one and then the second one, the extent .. 17 to which television programs were available.and 18 were quite alarmist about asbestos, but you 19 can't leap from network television which is a 20 large media in terms of range. You can't leap 21 from that and I can't leap from that to who 22 knew exactly what. We don't have studies of . 23 that kind.. 24 So it's availability in the mass 25 media in a regular way growing particularly in POHLMAN REPORTING COMPANY (314)421-0099 55 (Pages 217 to 220)