Synthetic products are better safety-tested than natural ones precisely because they are distrusted

Evidence

Ultimately, “natural” or “proven” substances are simply more familiar to us than synthetic or even genetically engineered alternatives. Yet – partly precisely because of this very “natural” distrust of the “unnatural” – the technically developed products are usually far better examined for possible harmful effects than the natural products that are so tried and trusted. If the natural products are actually examined more closely, they often perform poorly. — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 731

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels the social-capital material: distrust of the unfamiliar forces the kind of scrutiny familiarity never receives.