Earlier quoted context omitted.
What's the difference betwen fear mongering and educating about risks?
The difference is the beholder. If the beholder's income is threatened when people are educated about risks, they'll invariably declare it fear mongering.
I worked a summer shift at a heavy machinery factory just after high school before college. I was the single and only person, to my knowledge, that made use of the provided ear and air protection (a face mask and ear plugs, given that we worked with fiberglass with incredibly loud machines).
I was told multiple times that I was "paranoid" and faced a negative reaction because someone protecting themselves pierced a hole in the delusion that everything was fine.