Risk Communication: Mismatch between speech and practice in Shell/Basf case

This paper aims to discuss the concept of risk communication within the context of the Shell and BASF companies that took place in the city of Paulinia, in the countryside of the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The risk communication was created to bridge the gap existing between the technical-scientific risk information and the perception the subjects have on the risk, instigating the awareness on the frailties the risk situations represent. Therefore, it sought to present evidences on how BASF relates with its public in the sense of communicating risks and preserving the health and physical integrity of the involved subjects. In order to perform this research, semi-structured interviews were held with former employees of the company, as well as analyzing the documents that provide information on the case. Such analysis and the interviews revealed that, even though the company stated having risk communication as a practice, the impact of its actions on the affected public shows otherwise: a mismatch between its speech and practices.