LEADER 04193nam 2200745Ia 450 001 9910459854303321 005 20200520144314.0 010 $a1-283-00849-1 010 $a9786613008497 010 $a0-231-51196-5 024 7 $a10.7312/kaba14148 035 $a(CKB)2670000000079640 035 $a(EBL)909610 035 $a(OCoLC)715160058 035 $a(SSID)ssj0001141235 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)12374444 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0001141235 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)11089929 035 $a(PQKB)10238294 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000485085 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11335483 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000485085 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10612031 035 $a(PQKB)10732562 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC909610 035 $a(DE-B1597)458980 035 $a(OCoLC)979586124 035 $a(DE-B1597)9780231511964 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL909610 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10449814 035 $a(CaONFJC)MIL300849 035 $a(EXLCZ)992670000000079640 100 $a20080221d2008 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aur|n|---||||| 181 $ctxt 182 $cc 183 $acr 200 10$aHyping health risks$b[electronic resource] $eenvironmental hazards in daily life and the science of epidemiology /$fGeoffrey C. Kabat 210 $aNew York $cColumbia University Press$dc2008 215 $a1 online resource (273 p.) 300 $a"A Caravan book"--T.p. verso. 311 $a0-231-14149-1 311 $a0-231-14148-3 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references (p. [221]-238) and index. 327 $tFrontmatter -- $tCONTENTS -- $tPREFACE -- $tABBREVIATIONS -- $t1 INTRODUCTION: Toward a Sociology of Health Hazards in Daily Life -- $t2. EPIDEMIOLOGY -- $t3. DOES THE ENVIRONMENT CAUSE BREAST CANCER? -- $t4. ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS -- $t5. THE SCIENCE AND POLITICS OF RESIDENTIAL RADON -- $t6. THE CONTROVERSY OVER PASSIVE SMOKING -- $t7. CONCLUSION -- $tAPPENDIX A. List of Interviews -- $tAPPENDIX B. How Findings Can Be Reported in a Way That Puts Them in Perspective -- $tNOTES -- $tGLOSSARY -- $tBIBLIOGRAPHY -- $tCREDITS -- $tINDEX 330 $aThe 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. 606 $aHealth risk assessment$xSocial aspects$zUnited States 606 $aEpidemiology 606 $aEnvironmental health 608 $aElectronic books. 615 0$aHealth risk assessment$xSocial aspects 615 0$aEpidemiology. 615 0$aEnvironmental health. 676 $a615.9/02 676 $a615.902 676 $a616.98 700 $aKabat$b Geoffrey C$01039105 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910459854303321 996 $aHyping health risks$92461108 997 $aUNINA