Re: Cohen's Fallacy and Doll

["Rad health" <healthrad@HOTMAIL.COM>]

Sir Richard Doll's and Sarah Darby's perspective on your

studies are published in the paper below.  I imagine they felt is was futile 

to respond because you ignored the points they made such as colinearity 

within counties.







Ann Oncol 2001 Oct;12(10):1341-51





Radon: a likely carcinogen at all exposures.



Darby S, Hill D, Doll R.



Clinical Trial Service Unit, University of Oxford, UK. 

sarah.darby@ctsu.ox.ac.uk



BACKGROUND: Radon is a well-established lung carcinogen that has been 

extensively studied. Very high concentrations can occur in some underground 

mines. Concentrations also tend to build up in homes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 

Epidemiological studies of radon-exposed miners and of residential radon and 

lung cancer are reviewed. Quantitative estimates of the risk of lung cancer, 

based on the experience of the miners, are applied to residential radon 

exposures in the United Kingdom. Strategies for the prevention of lung 

cancer induced by residential radon are discussed. RESULTS: Estimates are 

uncertain, but residential radon is probably responsible for about 2000 lung 

cancer deaths per year in the United Kingdom, or around 6% of the total, 

making it the second biggest cause after smoking. Over 80% of the deaths are 

estimated to occur at ages less than 75 and over 80% in smokers or 

ex-smokers. Around 90% of radoninduced deaths in the United Kingdom probably 

occur as a result of exposures to radon concentrations below the currently 

recommended action level of 200 Bq m(-3). CONCLUSIONS: Further work is 

needed to obtain more reliable estimates of the risk of lung cancer 

associated with residential radon and on the cost-effectiveness of various 

intervention strategies before the most appropriate policies can be 

developed for managing exposure to this natural carcinogen.







>From: BERNARD L COHEN <blc+@pitt.edu>

>To: Rad health <healthrad@hotmail.com>

>CC: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu

>Subject: Re: Cohen's Fallacy and Doll

>Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2002 09:15:09 -0500 (EST)

>

>

>On Mon, 28 Jan 2002, Rad health wrote:

>

> > Dr. Cohen, you know very well that replies to letters to the editors do 

>not

> > go through peer review.

>

>	--That is news to me.

>

> > I really doubt the editor made a value judgement concerning your letter. 

>  It

> > did not respond to Doll's concerns.

> >

>	--If I remember correctly, Doll was given an opportunity to

>respond in the same issue in which my letter was published and declined to

>do so.

>

>





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