Geoffrey C. Kabat's Books

Getting Risk Right

Understanding the Science of Elusive Health Risks

By: Geoffrey C. Kabat

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Getting Risk Right

Understanding the Science of Elusive Health Risks

By: Geoffrey C. Kabat

Do cell phones cause brain cancer? Does BPA threaten our health? How safe are certain dietary supplements, especially those containing exotic herbs or small amounts of toxic substances? Is the HPV vaccine safe? We depend on science and medicine as never before, yet there is widespread misinformation and confusion, amplified by the media, regarding what influences our health. In Getting Risk Right, Geoffrey C. Kabat shows how science works—and sometimes doesn't—and what separates these two very different outcomes. Kabat seeks to help us distinguish between claims that are supported by solid science and those that are the result of poorly designed or misinterpreted studies. By exploring different examples, he explains why certain risks are worth worrying about, while others are not. He emphasizes the variable quality of research in contested areas of health risks, as well as the professional, political, and methodological factors that can distort the research process. Drawing on recent systematic critiques of biomedical research and on insights from behavioral psychology, Getting Risk Right examines factors both internal and external to the science that can influence what results get attention and how questionable results can be used to support a particular narrative concerning an alleged public health threat. In this book, Kabat provides a much-needed antidote to what has been called "an epidemic of false claims.

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Page Count

405

Publisher

Columbia University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0231542852

ISBN 13

9780231542852

Hyping Health Risks

Environmental Hazards in Daily Life and the Science of Epidemiology

By: Geoffrey Kabat

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Hyping Health Risks

Environmental Hazards in Daily Life and the Science of Epidemiology

By: Geoffrey Kabat

The media constantly bombard us with news of health hazards lurking in our everyday lives, but many of these hazards turn out to have been greatly overblown. According to author and epidemiologist Geoffrey C. Kabat, this hyping of low-level environmental hazards leads to needless anxiety and confusion on the part of the public concerning which exposures have important effects on health and which are likely to have minimal or no effect. Kabat approaches health scares as "social facts" and shows that a variety of factors can contribute to the inflating of a hazard. These include skewed reporting by the media, but also, surprisingly, the actions of researchers who may emphasize certain findings while ignoring others; regulatory and health agencies eager to show their responsiveness to the health concerns of the public; and politicians and advocates with a stake in a particular outcome. By means of four case studies, Kabat demonstrates how a powerful confluence of interests can lead to overstating or distorting the scientific evidence. He considers the health risks of pollutants such as DDT as a cause of breast cancer, electromagnetic fields from power lines, radon within residences, and secondhand tobacco smoke. Tracing the trajectory of each of these hazards from its initial emergence to the present, Kabat shows how publication of more rigorous studies and critical assessments ultimately help put hazards in perspective.

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Page Count

282

Publisher

Columbia University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0231141491

ISBN 13

9780231141499

Getting Risk Right

Understanding the Science of Elusive Health Risks

By: Geoffrey C. Kabat

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Getting Risk Right

Understanding the Science of Elusive Health Risks

By: Geoffrey C. Kabat

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

405

Publisher

Columbia University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0231542852

ISBN 13

9780231542852

Hyping Health Risks

Environmental Hazards in Daily Life and the Science of Epidemiology

By: Geoffrey Kabat

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Hyping Health Risks

Environmental Hazards in Daily Life and the Science of Epidemiology

By: Geoffrey Kabat

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

282

Publisher

Columbia University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0231141491

ISBN 13

9780231141499

Book's by Geoffrey C. Kabat

Getting Risk Right

Getting Risk Right

Hyping Health Risks

Hyping Health Risks

Getting Risk Right

Getting Risk Right

Hyping Health Risks

Hyping Health Risks

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