Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!lll-winken!tekbspa!optilink!elliott
From: elliott@optilink.UUCP (Paul Elliott x225)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: cows and high tension wires
Summary: leukemia report... question
Message-ID: <2724@optilink.UUCP>
Date: 6 Dec 89 17:20:42 GMT
References: <6446@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM> <2965@psivax.UUCP>
Organization: Optilink Corporation, Petaluma, CA
Lines: 18

> In article <6446@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM> jans@tekgvs.LABS.TEK.COM (Jan Steinman) writes:
>The latest Science News reported on research that showed statistical 
>correlation between leukemia and telephone linemen.[...]

I just saw a newspaper item re: this report.  I found it interesting that the
absolute number of cases was 6 or 7 (as I recall).  I don't remember if the 
sample size was mentioned.  Has anyone seen a statistical analysis of the
data (std deviation, chi-squared, etc.)?  The number of cases seems pretty
small to draw any strong conclusions.

This is an interesting topic, but much of the reporting on it seems to have
a pretty obvious socio-political axe to grind, so I remain "cautiously 
skeptical".

-- 
Paul M. Elliott      Optilink Corporation     (707) 795-9444
         {pyramid,pixar,tekbspa}!optilink!elliott
"I used to think I was indecisive, but now I'm not so sure."