Was bedeuten Risiko und Gefährdungspotential?

Two studies were launched by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment to clarify the understanding of the basic terms "hazard" and "risk". These terms tend to lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations by stakeholders in the context of public authority risk communication. The first project was dedicated to the central question of how both of these terms are understood and used in the scientific arena and whether laypeople distinguish between "hazard" and "risk". It could be assumed that the two terms are well understood in the special scientific circles, although there are also differences in interpreting the terms in different scientific disciplines. Laypeople do not really distinguish between "hazard" and "risk" unless they are informed otherwise. In addition to these findings, differences were emphasized within the second project which aims to explain different interpretations between governmental institutions, industry and non- governmental organisations.