Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference

The pesticide controversy is much more complicated than simply a disagreement over facts and risk estimates between the "experts" and the "fearful." It is a battle over ideology as much as one over information. This paper discusses the notion of "educating the public" about pesticides, establishing realistic expectations of efforts by industry and academia, and notes some of the limitations, and potential involvement, of scientists as "translators" in dealing with this controversy.