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RE: Cohen's Refutation of LNT
Don, You don't get it (or do but have an agenda to be accepted by the establishment - maybe want to follow Samet?)
It is given that good, substantial, case-control is better. Consider the size and quality of the nurses study. Poor, small, inconsistent, radon case-control studies do not invalidate the clear and certain Cohen/Colditz results!
Colditz was said by others to have wanted out of the biased, dishonest, anti-Cohen "debate" (which ignores the hundreds of substantial confirmatory studies), led by people who have a history of attacking funding of people that speak up. (Even in his position would he have been threatened instead?)
He did not, then, and has not to my knowledge ever questioned the strong case of the validity of the results in his 1994 paper. It sounds like you can ask him directly. Let us know if he supports your non-scientific rhetorical disinformation on the unambiguous validity of Cohen's results.
I would expect that he has greater scientific and personal integrity than that. But from recent exxperience you can't really tell about the epi world!?
Jim
-----Original Message-----
From: Rad health [mailto:healthrad@hotmail.com]
Sent: Sat 09-Feb-02 10:21 PM
To: Jim Muckerheide; hflong@postoffice.pacbell.net
Cc: radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
Subject: RE: Cohen's Refutation of LNT
Jim,
>From his (Colditz) classes you would learn he thinks the case-control
studies and prospective cohort studies, like the nurses health study he is
involved with, are the preferred methodologies for epidemiology (ask him).
He does not have to offer money to explain his findings in the more rigorous
studies. You would never hear Colditz say an ecologic study invalidates the
LNT. He would say the ecologic study was good to form hypotheses, but the
hypotheses have been proven wrong by the more rigorous case-control studies.
Why do you think no epidemiologist has worked with Cohen since Colditz? I
really think he is a bit embarrassed by the affiliation.
>From: "Jim Muckerheide" <jmuckerheide@cnts.wpi.edu>
>To: <hflong@postoffice.pacbell.net>, "Rad health" <healthrad@HOTMAIL.COM>
>CC: <radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu>
>Subject: RE: Cohen's Refutation of LNT
>Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 21:34:38 -0500
>
>Rad health wrote:
>
><snip>
> > Howard, speaking of real epidemiologists. Try asking Dr. Colditz, an
> > epidemiologist at Harvard School of Public Health what he thinks of Dr.
> > Cohen's interpretation of his ecologic findings. It would make an
> > interesting letter in itself.
>
>Funny you should ask (not that you would actually learn anything):
>
>Cohen BL, Colditz GA.
>Tests of the linear-no threshold theory for lung cancer induced by exposure
>to radon.
>Environ Res 1994 Jan;64(1):65-89
>ABSTRACT:
>The linear theory used to extrapolate the cancer risk of radon exposure
>from high levels where direct data are available to low levels encountered
>in homes is tested by comparing lung cancer rates, m, and average radon
>levels, r, in numerous U.S. states and counties. It is shown that most
>problems normally associated with ecological studies do not apply here. The
>data show a very strong tendency for lung cancer rates, corrected for
>smoking prevalence (S), to decrease with increasing r, in sharp contrast to
>the opposite behavior predicted by the theory. It is shown that even a
>perfect negative r-S correlation cannot explain this discrepancy. Actual
>r-S correlations are only a few percent. Several other possible
>explanations for the discrepancy are explored, but none can reduce it by
>more than about 25%.
>
>The paper is strong on the science, with results only confirmed, never
>refuted.
>
> > Wonder why Dr. Colditz does not respond to the articles writen by other
> > epidemiologists such as Drs. Doll, Field, Archer, Goldsmith, Darby, and
> > Lubin criticizing Dr. Cohen's interpretation of his findings?
>
>Unforunately Colditz decided long ago that there was no science (and only a
>distraction from the many very substantial studies that he directs) in
>arguing with the cabal of politically-motivated "epis" and their
>disinformation (that also have damaged careers of people who tell the truth
>-and fund those who follow the bureaucratic mandate).
>
>JIm Muckerheide
>
> > Don Smith
> >
> > >From: hflong@postoffice.pacbell.net
> > >Reply-To: hflong@pacbell.net
> > >To: Rad health <healthrad@hotmail.com>
> > >CC: hflong@pacbell.net, radsafe@list.vanderbilt.edu
> > >Subject: Re:
> > >Date: Fri, 08 Feb 2002 14:45:52 -0800
> > >
> > >Dear Harvey Griswold and other LNT Proponents
> > >"In a recent paper, we have demonstrated that the confounding factors
>in
> > >the
> > >radon data of Cohen (1995) do not invalidate these data for risk
> > >assessments,
> > >contrary to the claims of some epidemiologists (Seiler and Alvarez
>2000)."
> > >
> > >Truth, not authority, decides science.
> > >
> > >Howard Long
> > >
> > >Rad health wrote:
> > >
> > > > Dr. Long,
> > > >
> > > > It is pretty obvious you are jealous of Dr. Field's work. He has
> > >received
> > > > numerous accolades from the EPA, NCI, NIEHS, past Health Physics
>Society
> > > > president to name just a few. I have been to meetings where he has
>had
> > > > numerous standing ovations for the rigor of his design. When I
>first
> > >read
> > > > your emails, I thought you actually knew something about
>epidemiology.
> > >I
> > > > see that was an error.
> > > >
> > > > For someone who has never published a peer reviewed epidemiology
>article
> > >you
> > > > are pretty bold in word.
> > > >
> > > > Cohen's fallacy lives!
> > > >
> > > > Harvey Griswald
> > > > Harvard School of Public Health
> > > >
> > > > _________________________________________________________________
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