Re: Deaths from fossil fuel burning air pollution

[Bernard L Cohen <blc+@pitt.edu>]

On Wed, 6 Dec 2000, ruth_weiner wrote:
> 
> What is questioned is the relationship of air pollutant concentration  to
> deaths (and "prospective deaths" whatever they are), which seems to apply
> similar fuzzy reasoning to the latent cancer fatalities projected from
> accumulated exposure to very small amounts of ionizing radiation.

	--There is a tremendous difference here. The radiation effects are
extrapolated far below the region where there are meaningful data, using a
theory which has no present day basis. The air pollution effects are not
extrapolated and there is no theory involved. The results are used in a
region in which there is a great deal of direct data, extending above and
below the pollution levels for the application. 

	--If you grant that there are people dying from air pollution, how
do you suggest that the number of such deaths be quantified? If you don't
think it is important to get a quantitative estimate, how can we compare
the health effects of nuclear power and coal burning?

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