LNT, Collective Dose

["Harry Hinks" <harryhinks@hotmail.com>]

Mr. DeCastro,

I may be mistaken, but I think you are mixing up LNT and collective dose 
assumptions.

In studies where you collect data at each house, you do not have to make 
either LNT or the collective dose assumptions.  Assume you go out to the 
nearest town and randomly choose 3 homes to test their radon in their 
basement.  Again assume you get readings at the 3 houses of 24 
pCuries/liter, 2 pCuries/liter and 1 pCuries/liter.  With summary data using 
the collective dose assumptions, you would assume the basement concentration 
for each individual in that town is 9 pCuries/liter, correct?  But in 
reality, you know the basements were 24, 2 and 1.   In studies using data 
from individual houses, you have the readings.  In summary data studies, you 
do a poor job of measuring the actual concentrations.

Regardless if the LNT is true or not.  Summary data is not as good as 
individual data.  Isn't it the individuals who get the lung cancer and not 
everyone on the whole town?  Why allow a few measurements to represent the 
whole town when you can collect information on the levels at the houses 
where the people have the lung cancer.

Harry
harryhinks@hotmail.com

----------------------------
Ted DeCastro wrote:

>But that is EXACTLY the WHOLE POINT!!
>
>If LNT is true - linear is linear and summary data is as good as
>specific data!
>
>If the kinds of variations you suggest make a difference - then LNT is
>NOT true!
>
>Cohen didn't ask the question - What is the response function?
>
>The question asked is - Is the response function LNT.
>
>Linear is nice and simple as a theory - easy top work with.  It is also
>easy to test.  And - the test failed!  Its as simple as that.

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