medpundit |
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Thursday, February 01, 2007After studying three dozen cities and nearly 66,000 post-menopausal women, scientists found the women in the worst-polluted cities had a 76 percent greater chance of dying from heart ailments than those in the least-polluted cities. That's a pretty scary number- 76% greater. Gosh, if you live in a city like Los Angeles, you might as well give it up. But, it's impossible to say what that 76% increase means. The published paper on which that statement is based doesn't give us the raw data. For all we know that figure could come from a difference between 1% and 1.75%. The authors chose to present their data only in terms of hazard ratios, which allows them to hide the true differences- and to magnify the differences if it suits their aims. Always beware of studies that won't give up the hard and absolute numbers. There's no doubt that pollution is unheatlhy. People who live in areas with high air pollution have more trouble with asthma and inhale more carbon monoxide than people who live in pristine environments. However, it is important to present the data truthfully, especially when the science may be used to increase public spending or limit economic productivity. The public is best served with the truth, not obfuscation. posted by Sydney on 2/01/2007 08:38:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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