LNT models

[FIELDRW@aol.com]

In a message dated 3/5/00 5:18:07 PM Central Standard Time, 
ograabe@ucdavis.edu writes:

<< March 5, 2000
 Davis, CA
 
 The point that Dr. Cohen had made and that Dr. Lubin seems to have missed
 is that under LNT it is NOT necessary to know the risk or exposure for any
 individual. This is because under LNT it makes no difference to the overall
 population risk how the dose is distributed in a group of people.
 
 Otto >>

Dr. Raabe,

What do you mean when you say "under LNT"?  Your comments may be more 
applicable if Dr. Cohen was actually testing a legitimate LNT model like the 
BEIR LNT model, unfortunately the LNT model Dr. Cohen is testing is a very 
poor test of the LNT.  

In addition, as we have previously pointed out and Dr. Lubin points out 
again, if you specify a functional relationship for lung cancer and radon for 
individuals, then you cannot "scale up" that function (unless it's LINEAR in 
all risk factor, which is not the case with radon) to the county level, 
because information on the joint distribution of all risk factors for all 
counties is lacking.  

Regards, Bill Field

R. William Field, Ph.D.
College of Public Health
Department of Epidemiology
University of Iowa

319-335-4413
mailto:bill-field@uiowa.edu

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