More like: standard neo-luddite hysteria.
I’ve seen it for decades over nearly every major new technology.
Conceivable yes, but practically preposterous.
I think the biggest instance in history of something happening as you describe was when the first test blast of the A-bomb was made at White Sands. They wondered whether it would set the atmosphere afire. But they did it anyway.
Of a similar vein was the possibility of CERN (I think it was) producing a black hole that would devour the earth in time. But they did it anyway.