Re: Radio report

[Fox@acsh.org (Michael Fox)]

Radsafers:
Lets not forget that statistical clusters (both excesses and deficits) can be
found in a table of random numbers.  In the world of activists, or the media,
or class action lawyers, the political/ communications trick is to blame
somebody or statistically "associate" a targeted industry as a substitute  for
"causing" the clusters (the excesses only, of course).  

The cancer mortality data includes dozen of cancer types.  At the 95%
confidence level, 1 in 20 of such cancers will appear as an excess simply from
chance.  With decreasing probabilities 2,3,4,5 other cancer types will also
occur in excess simply from chance.  Now we are talking the familiar "Cancer of
the Week" kind of news we've seen for 30 years.  Its great sport, if you don't
mind the dishonesty of it all. 
MF  
------------------------------------------------------------
                The American Council on Science and Health
        1995 Broadway, 2nd Floor   New York, NY 10023-5860
                  Tel: 212/362-7044    Fax: 212/362-4919
                                   http://www.acsh.org
------------------------------------------------------------