description: Why "All things are poison; nothing is poison." You may not believe the following claims now, but you will after reading this book. * Low levels of radiation don't harm us. * Our fear of tiny traces of radiation stops us from tapping a limitless source of clean energy. * We could improve our health by increasing our exposure to radiation! For one thing, it may well reduce the risk of cancer. Hiserodt reminds us of a cardinal rule of "the poison is in the dose." Just as arsenic and salt are deadly poisons in large enough doses but necessary nutrients in much smaller amounts, copious data have been reported for decades showing that exposure to low levels of radiation (but considerably more than people normally receive) can actually increase one's health (a stimulatory effect called hormesis). Alas, though researchers have scrupulously recorded such data, when it comes to drawing conclusions they too often ignore their findings or treat them as a fluke. This subject that "very few of us understand" may seem intimidating at first, but Ed Hiserodt is the perfect guide -- friendly, clear, knowledgeable, and not a little irreverent. Step by step, he spells out the basic physics, tours the evidence he has spent years pondering, flays flimsy claims, and opens the door to exciting possibilities. Put it this if you're worried about the radon in your home... don't be. You'll also What the media hasn't told you about Chernobyl, Three Mile Island... and the survivors of Hiroshima. * What we could do with the radioactive "waste" that we now try to get rid of. * What gravity, sound, heat, light -- and ionizing radiation -- all have in common. * Which is most a reactor leak... a pint of salad oil... or a handful of dirt? * How did X-rays help Professor Shrader's Guinea pigs survive the diphtheria bacillus? * Why it's impossible to steal nuclear fuel from a functioning reactor. Sorry, Mr. Terrorist.
language: English
title: Underexposed: What If Radiation Is Actually Good for You?
titlecomplete: Underexposed: What If Radiation Is Actually Good for You?
ratings_count: 4
publisher: Laissez Faire Books