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Re: Cohen's Fallacy





Jim,



It's the quality of the study not the quantity that counts.   The ecologic 

study can precisely tell you something wrong.



>From: Muckerheide <muckerheide@MEDIAONE.NET>

>Reply-To: Muckerheide <muckerheide@MEDIAONE.NET>

>To: Rad health <healthrad@HOTMAIL.COM>, <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>

>Subject: Re: Cohen's Fallacy

>Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2002 05:24:12 +0000

>

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

> >

> > Jim,

> >

> > I don't defend Dr. Cohen's study at all.

>

>No kidding. But my (perhaps too-cryptic) English seems confuse you too.

>

>I meant that instead of Cohen's hundreds of individual, independent, 

>studies

>that produce significant, confirmed, substantiated, results that correlate

>actual radon and lung cancer in real populations (that are also confirmed 

>by

>many independent studies with independent data), you defend Field's one 

>very

>small,  poor, unconfirmed "study," unreplicated (and likely unreplicable).

>No one who knows anything about statistical analysis can/will do that.

>

>Also, that you seem to just make up "data" in your statements (like "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." Refs?) as though they are meaningful

>or relevant, but which seem to be just more disinformation for EPA's

>political/funding purposes (but may just be lack of knowledge of analytical

>basics - using "epidemiology" to obfuscate the lack of statistical validity

>in the basis for trashing Cohen).  Cohen has 50 years at the heart of

>science, performing and publishing rigorous, valid, analyses, still stand

>against the "establishment" that produces disinformation to con scientific

>and numeric illiterates (innumerates) - mostly "policy-makers" but the

>non-specialist technical community as well.

>

>I don't know where you're a student, but when (if) you get beyond your

>brainwashing in some Samet kind of Epi Dept., you can sue to get your money

>back.  I'm sure Cohen would be a highly credible witness for the plaintiff.

>Reminds me of Steve Wing, essentially a Sociology major with a statistics

>course, manipulating a small anomaly in a small group into an

>establishment-funded "career. "

>

>Jim

>

> >The inverse relationship was

> > published both in the first paper by Field and later acknowledged by Dr.

> > Cohen on this list.  I am merely stating the facts as presented. My post 

>was

> > in response to Ruth's question.    I

> >

> > Don

> >

> >> From: Muckerheide <muckerheide@MEDIAONE.NET>

> >> Reply-To: Muckerheide <muckerheide@MEDIAONE.NET>

> >> To: <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>

> >> Subject: Re: Cohen's Fallacy

> >> Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 20:51:33 +0000

> >>

> >> 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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