The word stigma was used by the ancient Greeks to refer to a mark placed on an individual to signify infamy or disgrace. One defining characteristic of a stigma is the risk that the marked person is perceived to pose to society. Within the social sciences, there is an extensive literature on the topic of stigma as it applies to people and social groups. By means of its association with risk, the concept of stigma has recently come to be generalized to technologies, places, and products that are perceived as unduly dangerous.

Stigma plays out socially in opposition to many industrial activities and products, particularly those involving the use of chemicals and radiation, and in the large and rapidly growing number of lawsuits claiming that one's property has been devalued by perceptions of risk.

The emergence of these new forms of stigma is a result of the modern world's concern about human health and ecological risks – a concern amplified by the vast power of communications media to spread the word about risks. But stigma goes beyond conceptions of hazard. Many conditions are known to be hazardous; stigma refers to something that is to be shunned or avoided not just because it is dangerous but also because it overturns or destroys a positive condition, signaling that what was or should be something good is now marked as blemished or tainted. As a result, stigmatization is a powerful component of public opposition to many technologies, products, and facilities. It represents an increasingly significant factor influencing the development and acceptance of scientific and technological innovations.