[ RadSafe ] Longevity and Radiation

[Bernard Cohen]

    ---It is my understanding that longevity is defined as life 
expectancy, which is calculated using age-adjusted mortality rates. That 
is, the mortality rate at each year of age in the county under study  is 
applied to a hypothetical population of newborns and this population is 
followed in the calculation year by year, applying these mortality 
rates, until all members have died. Thus, the age distribution in the 
county has no effect on the longevity. It does not enter into the 
calculation.
     Age-adjusted mortality rates due to a specific disease are also 
calculated in this way. Not understanding this was the problem with at 
least one of the authors of a paper by Heath, Bond, Hoel, and Meinhold 
which was critical of my work.

Wesley wrote:

>Radsafers,
>
>I have been thinking of "longevity" and how one would do epidemiology with
>this parameter.
>
>I suppose longevity is average age of death for a group of people such as
>residents of a county or state or country.
>
>But longevity would be highly dependent on average age of the group. In an
>extreme example, take county A and B. If all people over age 50 in county A
>moved to county B. And all people under age 50 in county B moved to county
>A. Then the longevity in county A must be well under 50 and in county B the
>longevity would be well above 50. This would be independent of environmental
>conditions and average health status of the residents.
>
>So how would you correct "longevity" for average age in a group?
>
>Just thinking out loud on a hot summer day.
>
>Regards, Wes
>
>Wesley R. Van Pelt, PhD, CIH, CHP
>Wesley R. Van Pelt Associates, Inc.
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf
>Of Muckerheide, James
>Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2005 3:43 PM
>To: Bernard Cohen; John Jacobus
>Cc: Rainer.Facius at dlr.de; blc at pitt.edu; radsafe at radlab.nl;
>cdn-nucl-l at mailman1.cis.mcmaster.ca; mbrexchange at list.ans.org
>Subject: RE: AW: AW: AW: [ RadSafe ] Re: "Science" reports on
>backgroundradiation andhealth
>
>Hi Bernie,
>
>CDC Wonder has longevity data.  But those results were done with your radon
>data (and the EPA radon data?) a couple of years ago by Ruth Sponsler.  Did
>that ever get pub'd?
>
>Regards, Jim Muckerheide
>
>
>
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