PRO: This is the best EMF book I've read overall because it has the most details on the basic science.
CON: Overpowered was published back in 2013 so it's somewhat outdated. Blank (who died in 2018) cites WIMAX (which is now dead) instead of 5G as a concern. The book also predates Martin Pal's VGCC (calcium channel) hypothesis, which has attracted considerable attention due to Pal's alarmist views.
The key point of the book is that numerous studies (using animal and cell culture models) show that non-ionizing EMF does have a biological effect. It's long been assumed that non-ionizing EMF can't have an effect because the (f)requency is too low per E=hf to affect electron energy levels. (Chemistry is largely determined by electron bonding.) Blank argues that safety standards, which do NOT take this into account, have to be updated and the public should take precautionary measures like limiting exposure to wireless devices and not living near cell phone towers and high-power electric lines.
I now turn off all of my wireless devices at night as a precaution. However, I still think it's likely the negative effects are overstated. CHs 4-5 discuss how EMF damages DNA and may be carcinogenic. However, DNA damage isn't necessarily a concern- our cells have trillions(!) of mutations per day. The vast majority don't matter because up to 98% of our DNA is "junk" and our cells have self-repair/destruct mechanisms.
It's estimated that ~50% of medicine is wrong. As explained in "Rigor Mortis", the primary reason is that biology is so complex. Animals and cell cultures are poor substitutes for humans and many results obtained from such experiments are N/A to actual human health. E.g., dozens of cancer treatments, which work in mice, have failed to work in humans. Blank alludes to such difficulties in CH8 when he mentions that some experiments, which have NOT found a negative effect for EMF, were conducted under slightly different conditions from those that do, which is a sign the negative effect isn't "robust". Even if a negative effect is "real", it may not matter for all practical purposes, if the effect is "tiny" (e.g. something may increase your cancer risk by 10x but if the absolute risk increases from 1 in 1 million to 10 in 1 million, then it should be ignored vs. more impactful factors).
Despite my skepticism, EMF may very well be a problem. Blank cites observational studies which say that people who live close to cell phone towers have more health issues. Some people are also "electro-hypersensitive" and have to move to low-EMF areas. However, no long-term human randomized clinical trials have been done and correlation is NOT causation so it's TBD if these concerns are genuine. Blank acknowledges the uncertainty but strongly recommends action anyway per the precautionary principle.
I've read numerous health books and I don't know which health concern we should really be worried about:
1) Books like "Fat Chance" and "The Case Against Sugar" contend sugar is bad for us and may even be carcinogenic because it causes insulin resistance. "Grain Brain" goes even further and says that numerous neurological issues (including Alzheimer's) are due to gluten/carbs/sugar. (Blank also suggests EMF could be a causal factor in Alzheimer's so who's right?) Back in the 1970s, the precautionary principle (which Blank advocates for EMF) was the basis for wrongly demonizing saturated fat, which led to increased carb and sugar consumption- perhaps the root cause of the current obesity/diabetes epidemic.
2) Light at Night (LAN) may be carcinogenic as well. A 2019 paper also says that LAN can cause permanent brain damage in hatchling chicks- it's TBD if this applies to human newborns. LAN disrupts sleep and reduces melatonin levels- both of which protect against DNA damage/cancer. LAN has gotten worse with the advent of modern fluorescent/CFL/LED lighting which has much more blue light vs. incadescent bulbs.
The flip-side of LAN is that we may not be getting enough sunlight during the day (which is much brighter than indoor lighting and also produces far more vitamin D than can be obtained from diet alone) due to misguided fears of skin cancer. (Too much sun is bad for us but too little sun is even worse.)
3) Both "Curable" and "Statin Nation" mention that loneliness and increasing social isolation have a bigger impact on mortality than diet, smoking and exercise. Perhaps the content of EMF (e.g. social media) is worse for our health than the EMF itself.
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E. Dalhuijsen
Enlightening, technically satisfying, and pleasantly readable.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 14, 2017Verified Purchase
tiffin
All parents concerned with safety of their young children should read this book.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 30, 2015Verified Purchase
Gabsie
Great starting point for further reading
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 12, 2014Verified Purchase
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good content of useful information
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 24, 2018Verified Purchase
Martin Bramley
A serious must-read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 19, 2018Verified Purchase
