This table has been compiled by the theme issue editorial team from the sources listed below

Some familiar risks	The chance they will happen
Getting three balls in the UK national lottery	1 in 11
Dying on the road over 50 years of driving	1 in 85
Transmission of measles	1 in 100
Dying of any cause in the next year	1 in 100
Annual risk of death from smoking 10 cigarettes per day	1 in 200
Getting four balls in the UK national lottery	1 in 206
Needing emergency treatment in the next year after being injured by a can, bottle, or jar	1 in 1,00
Needing emergency treatment in the next year after being injured by a bed mattress or pillow	1 in 2000
Death by an accident at home	1 in 7100
Getting five balls in the UK national lottery	1 in 11 098
Death by an accident at work	1 in 40 000
Death playing soccer	1 in 50 000
Death by murder	1 in 100 000
Being hit in your home by a crashing aeroplane	1 in 250 000
Death by rail accident	1 in 500 000
Drowning in the bath in the next year	1 in 685 000
Getting six balls in the UK national lottery	1 in 2 796 763
Being struck by lightning	1 in 10 000 000
Death from new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease	1 in 10 000 000
Death from a nuclear power accident	1 in 10 000 000

Most risks given are approximate

Sources:

Calman K, Royston G. Risk language and dialects. BMJ 1997;315:939-42.

Adams A, Smith A. Risk perception and communication: recent developments and implications for anaesthesia. Anaesthesia 2001;56:745-55.

Best Treatments. www.besttreatments.org
 

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Risk error

Christopher J Squire
bmj.com, 26 Sep 2003 [Full text]

Understanding risk

Michael J Campbell
bmj.com, 19 Mar 2004 [Full text]