Nah, I grew up in the 70s. If we didn't all die from the next ice age, then cancer-caused-pollution was going to get us. Or Overpopulation, Nuclear War, Nuclear Winter, Starvation, Herpes, AIDS, Acid Rain, Cocaine/Crack/Heroin/pick-a-drug, etc etc etc ad infinitum.
Politicians and the Media always need a boogeyman to scare people with. Why? Because they don't get paid, if you don't need them.