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Rating: 
Summary: Sounds dry, but it really isn't
Review: Did you know that when you read about cancer rates, skin cancer is not included because it occurs so frequently it skews the statistics? That is the sort of information you need to know, and will find in RISK.This is an excellent book which really puts things in perspective. It's a MUST HAVE book that should be on everyone's bookshelf.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Buy! Science Made Easy and Interesting.
Review: FINALLY a book that translates hard science into concise, interesting, and readable text that anyone (even a child) can understand. This book is full of surprises too. I found comfort in understanding that some things I'm afraid are actually quite UNLIKELY to affect me while others I pay no attention to are REAL risks. From "accidents" to "x-rays", 48 chapters include other topics like: Air bags, articificial sweeteners, Bad Backs, Caffeine, School Buses, Mad Cow Disease, biological weapons, indoor air pollution, lead, pesticides, Radon, breast implants, mammography, sexually transmitted disease, and a an eye-opening one on medical errors. A necessary home reference guide with valuable basic knowledge.
Rating:
Summary: This is the scientific facts without the hype.
Review: This is an excellent book on the subject of risk analysis focused on 48 specific risks we encounter in everyday life. The book is divided in three parts. Part I describes mainly discretionary or behavioral risks. These consist mainly of risks we choose to incur such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and drinking coffee. Part II focuses on environmental risks. These are risks that we bear, and for the most part can't avoid such as water and air pollution. Part III describe Medical related risks. As the authors specify these are often more outcomes than risks. For instance, cancer and heart disease are not direct risks, they are outcome of a combination of deficient nutrition, bad lifestyle habits (lack of exercise), and inherited genes. The authors make an excellent effort to come up with the most current and objective scientific knowledge. They avoid all the hype in the media that may exaggerate or understate various risks. After reading this excellent book, it is interesting to notice that by far the biggest risks to our health and survival are the behavioral risks or the risks we choose to undertake. These include smoking, drinking, obesity, and also sun tanning. These risks are far greater than pesticides, water pollution, air pollution, electro magnetic fields, and radiation from cellular phones. Thus, the authors do a good job to strengthen our common sense based on scientific evidence instead of going crazy due to misinformation by the media. The book is excellent for several reasons. First, the authors have a solid scientific background themselves. Second, they fully recognized that no matter how smart you are, you just can't be the number one expert in everything. Thus, each of the chapters (dedicated to any one of the specific 48 risks) has been fully reviewed by one or more of the top authorities in the relevant field covered. Therefore, the book does not reflect just their opinions. In essence, each of their risk analysis has been peer-reviewed by the top specialists. Third, they provide excellent reference at the end of each section to credible websites where you could further research specific issues if you cared too. Fourth, they came up with a self explanatory Risk Meter that is a visual representation of the specific exposure to a certain risk, and severity of consequence if you are exposed to this same risk. Thus, very quickly you can get a read on how serious a specific risk is right at the beginning of each chapters. Fifth, in the Appendix 2, the authors summarize their opinions on all 48 risks. So, if you just wanted to know the bottom line on a series of rather complex risks, you could quickly refer to this Appendix, and in seconds you can figure how material these risks are to yourself. This is definitely an excellent reference book. It is probably not the type of book you read in a sequential fashion cover to cover. Only the Ben Stiller character (a neurotic risk assessment specialist working for a life insurance company) in the comedy "Along Came Polly" would. I admit, I am like this character, and I managed to read about 29 of the 48 risks straight through. But, that is just me. I am a bit nuts about that stuff. You'll probably get a lot more by referring to the book whenever the media, or the experience of a friend or relative triggers within you a health-risk issue you want to know more about.
Rating:
Summary: This is the scientific facts without the hype.
Review: This is an excellent book on the subject of risk analysis focused on 48 specific risks we encounter in everyday life. The book is divided in three parts. Part I describes mainly discretionary or behavioral risks. These consist mainly of risks we choose to incur such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and drinking coffee. Part II focuses on environmental risks. These are risks that we bear, and for the most part can't avoid such as water and air pollution. Part III describe Medical related risks. As the authors specify these are often more outcomes than risks. For instance, cancer and heart disease are not direct risks, they are outcome of a combination of deficient nutrition, bad lifestyle habits (lack of exercise), and inherited genes. The authors make an excellent effort to come up with the most current and objective scientific knowledge. They avoid all the hype in the media that may exaggerate or understate various risks. After reading this excellent book, it is interesting to notice that by far the biggest risks to our health and survival are the behavioral risks or the risks we choose to undertake. These include smoking, drinking, obesity, and also sun tanning. These risks are far greater than pesticides, water pollution, air pollution, electro magnetic fields, and radiation from cellular phones. Thus, the authors do a good job to strengthen our common sense based on scientific evidence instead of going crazy due to misinformation by the media. The book is excellent for several reasons. First, the authors have a solid scientific background themselves. Second, they fully recognized that no matter how smart you are, you just can't be the number one expert in everything. Thus, each of the chapters (dedicated to any one of the specific 48 risks) has been fully reviewed by one or more of the top authorities in the relevant field covered. Therefore, the book does not reflect just their opinions. In essence, each of their risk analysis has been peer-reviewed by the top specialists. Third, they provide excellent reference at the end of each section to credible websites where you could further research specific issues if you cared too. Fourth, they came up with a self explanatory Risk Meter that is a visual representation of the specific exposure to a certain risk, and severity of consequence if you are exposed to this same risk. Thus, very quickly you can get a read on how serious a specific risk is right at the beginning of each chapters. Fifth, in the Appendix 2, the authors summarize their opinions on all 48 risks. So, if you just wanted to know the bottom line on a series of rather complex risks, you could quickly refer to this Appendix, and in seconds you can figure how material these risks are to yourself. This is definitely an excellent reference book. It is probably not the type of book you read in a sequential fashion cover to cover. Only the Ben Stiller character (a neurotic risk assessment specialist working for a life insurance company) in the comedy "Along Came Polly" would. I admit, I am like this character, and I managed to read about 29 of the 48 risks straight through. But, that is just me. I am a bit nuts about that stuff. You'll probably get a lot more by referring to the book whenever the media, or the experience of a friend or relative triggers within you a health-risk issue you want to know more about.
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