Re: Cohen's Fallacy

[Muckerheide <muckerheide@MEDIAONE.NET>]

 From: "Rad health" <healthrad@HOTMAIL.COM>



> There is a huge inverse correlation in Cohen's county level data between

> smoking and radon.  It is also likely correlated within the county level

> with such other factors as socioeconomic level.  Cohen can not account for

> these within county correlations for even one county and the correlations

> are not linear among counties.

> 

> Don



Don,



I'd ask for data, but you seem to just "make it up" as you go. Yet you

arbitrarily defend one small, unreplicated (unreplicable?), study with poor

dose data (that depends solely on dose data for credible results), in a poor

location (maybe intentional by the funding agencies?), that is contrary to

voluminous, established, substantial data, as "defining" radon dose effects

to support the EPA/radon industry. It seems that people who understand and

apply data and statistical analysis to reflect the real world, instead of

preordained conclusions, can't buy it.



Jim Muckerheide





>> From: RuthWeiner@aol.com

>> To: healthrad@hotmail.com, radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

>> Subject: Re: Cohen's Fallacy

>> Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 16:11:17 EST

>> 

>> In a message dated 1/27/02 10:22:58 AM Mountain Standard Time,

>> healthrad@HOTMAIL.COM writes:

>> 

>> 

>>> smoking status and residential radon are uncorrelated within each

>>> county (which seems unlikely),

>> 

>> Now maybe I am stupid, but what these authors seem to be saying is that

>> residential radon and smoking status are correlated; e.g., higher radon

>> levels occur in houses where there are smokers.  Did they mean to say that

>> the EFFECT of smoking and residential radon are synergistic?  Or did they

>> really mean what they said, which can only be interpreted that smokers get

>> some radon exposure from smoking?

>> 

>> Given the imprecision of  the language, I am not sure what conclusions can

>> be

>> drawn.

>> 

>> 

>> Ruth Weiner, Ph. D.

>> ruthweiner@aol.com

> 

> 

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