The Illusion of Certainty

management are common bywords in professional practice. This is an excellent, readable book, thoughtfully written by experts, for doctors and their patients, and those who have to consider the balance of risk/benefit in everyday life. a ] The appendices are thoughtfully divided into a glossary and key references. Overall, the authors have successfully clarified what has previously been lacking in risk communication and management." (Prof. Carol Seymour, www.medicalprotection.org, Vol. 16 (1), 2008)

"This book describes not only the principles of calculating basic epidemiologic risk estimates, but also how different presentations of the same research affect the interpretation of disease risk. a ] The theme throughout the book is how much uncertainty in research is acceptable to enable decision making, and how this uncertainty should be made more explicit when results are being described to the public. a ] will improve the lay readera (TM)s understanding of risk and will be useful reading for medical professionals and those in related fields." (The New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 358 (10), March, 2008)

"It was a pleasure to review the book The Illusion of Certainty a ] . A pleasure I saya "the real word should be opportunity. a ] The authors are skilled communicators. They are highly respected environmental scientists. a ] I strongly recommend the effort. I simply wish to stress a ] that we must not give the impression thatthe absence of known risk factors eliminates the development of CAHD. a ] It should be read and reread, lest we slip and make a serious cognitive error." (J. Willis Hurst, Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, Vol. 21 (2), 2008)

"This book is primarily intended to make the public better consumers of information on health risks. That includes all of us. In addition, it can serve as a guide for risk assessors to communicating with the public, journalists, stakeholders, and decision makers. a ] This is the best popular book on risk assessment that I have seen. It makes the presentation of risk accessible by eschewing equations, writing simply and clearly, and using anecdotes to illustrate the issues." (Glenn Suter, Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, Vol. 4 (3), 2008)

"Empowering people to make well informed decisions about their health is the goal of Dr. Erik Rifkin & Dr. Edward Bouwer in their new book a ] . Risk Characterization Theater is a unique graphic which informs the reader with an objective view of the pros and cons of each treatment in simple terms that anyone can understand. a ~The Illusion of Certainty: Health Benefits and Risksa (TM) is highly recommended to medical and health community library collections alike and to anyone a ] ." (The Midwest Book Review, May, 2008)