[ RadSafe ] Ecological Dose-Response Studies

[Muckerheide, Jim (CDA)]

Sure. Just depends on what answer they want.

Regards, Jim 
 

>-----Original Message-----
>From: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl 
>[mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] On Behalf Of jjcohen at prodigy.net
>Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2007 4:17 PM
>To: RADSAFE; Otto Raabe
>Subject: Re: [ RadSafe ] Ecological Dose-Response Studies
>
>Otto,
>    You have given a fascinating comparison of some EPA policies.
>Can anyone explain how EPA determines when their rulemaking
>can be based on ecological studies and when it cannot be.
>Jerry Cohen
>
>
>
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Otto Raabe" <ograabe at ucdavis.edu>
>To: "RADSAFE" <radsafe at radlab.nl>
>Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2007 9:48 AM
>Subject: [ RadSafe ] Ecological Dose-Response Studies
>
>
>> February 8, 2007
>>
>> The EPA in association with BEIR VI has rejected the 
>detailed ecological
>> studies of Bernard Cohen that showed people living in 
>regions with higher
>> radon levels in air in homes tended to have lower lung 
>cancer rates and
>> demonstrating that the LNT model does not apply.
>>
>> In ecological studies the concentration of a potential toxicant is
>measured
>> in general areas where people are being exposed, but no 
>information is
>> available about the actual dose to or exposure of any 
>particular person.
>> Comparisons are made of rates of disease in people who live 
>in areas with
>> different pollutant levels.  Because the actual level of 
>exposure of the
>> people with disease is not really known, statisticians tend 
>to give little
>> weight to the results of ecological studies. Also, unknown 
>confounders can
>> badly skew the results.
>>
>> Ironically, EPA has a different view for air pollutants, For 
>about ten
>> years ecological studies of air pollutants, especially 
>particulate matter,
>> have been used to show an association between concentrations 
>in outdoor
>air
>> and diseases in people. Often the affected people are in hospitals
>> breathing clean air and the measurements of pollutants are 
>made outdoors
>> many miles away. In today's news a study from the University 
>of Washington
>> involving 65,893 women who were presumably exposed to some 
>extent or other
>> to normal outdoor levels of airborne particulate matter 
>concluded that
>> women living in areas with higher concentrations had higher levels of
>heart
>> disease. It isn't clear what exposure anyone received since the
>> measurements were presumable made of outdoor levels at 
>centrally located
>> air monitoring stations and no one knows where the women with heart
>disease
>> were during all of their lives or what they actually inhaled.  On the
>basis
>> of these and other similar studies the EPA in 2011 is scheduled to
>question
>> its standards for airborne particulate matter. Presumably they will
>> recommend lower ambient air concentration limits on 
>particulate matter and
>> limits on emission sources.
>>
>> Otto
>>
>>
>> **********************************************
>> Prof. Otto G. Raabe, Ph.D., CHP
>> Center for Health & the Environment
>> University of California
>> One Shields Avenue
>> Davis, CA 95616
>> E-Mail: ograabe at ucdavis.edu
>> Phone: (530) 752-7754   FAX: (530) 758-6140
>> ***********************************************
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