One of the major benefits that resulted from the the alar scandal in 1989 was that it made it clear to agricultural and food corporations that they could be seriously harmed by criticism of their products.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) hyped a story on CBS's 60 Minutes about the dangers of a pesticide sprayed on apples. The story was based on an NRDC report called "Intolerable Risk: Pesticides in Our Children's Food," which warned that a chemical sprayed on apples, Alar, could cause cancer in humans.
NRDC executive director Patricia Whelan pushed the story around for publicity, using her organization's public relations firm, Fenton Communications, and others. She also arranged for the story to be taped for the Phil Donahue Show and other talk shows.
To the media, the alar scare became a prime example of Chicken Little environmentalism and government regulation run amok. It also gave a boost to food and chemical industry trade groups as they began lobbying for so-called agricultural-disparagement laws that would make it harder for critics to sue.
It's also a classic example of how logical reason can be quickly converted to sensationalism and hysteria. The EPA, whose staff toxicologists initially recommended banning alar, subsequently reversed course. And a growing body of reputable scientists has since come to the same conclusion that it is a harmless pesticide and does not pose a threat to health. The Alar scare is thus a prime example of why it's important to resist the temptation to play "chicken with the egg" when it comes to environmental and health issues.