Many fears are troubling people today: fear for their safety, fear for the natural environment, fear for their health. The real dangers are lower than ever before, but concern has grown excessively. Guarding, protecting, and preserving: these are the solutions of the new society of concern. It has declared safety, health, and the environment as its highest goods, and it does not hesitate to patronize individuals for their own good. In his new book, Günter Ropohl critiques the effects of this society of concern using the example of the tobacco debate: health missionaries who want to ban smoking have instilled in people a massive threat from secondhand smoke. It is claimed that non-smokers could become seriously ill from even small traces of tobacco smoke and must be protected at all costs.