reporting efficiency?
Posted by bobbapink on Dec 18, 2001 at 15:35
nen86-155.nosc.mil (198.253.86.155)"Children's cancer rises by one third" - "MORE children are being diagnosed with cancer, scientists announced yesterday, prompting concern that infections and environmental factors are to blame. The Cancer Research Campaign (CRC) has uncovered a "creeping rise" over the last 45 years in cases of brain cancer, leukaemia and germ cell tumours, some of the most common cancers in children. Environmental campaigners warned the use of chemicals that pollute the environment must be phased out in order to tackle the problem. The current rate of brain cancer in UK children is 36 per cent, higher than it was in the 1950s, while the rate of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) has gone up by a third."
Ignoring the erroneous (or intentional erroneous?) placing of the comma after 36%, I suspect this “creeping” is actually more a function of diagnostic advances to some extent and reporting efficiency to a great extent. Still, let’s not let the facts get in the way of yet another round of prohibiting harmless or near harmless chemicals in the name of social equality, fear mongering, castle building, and luddism in general. Simply find the first weak correlation and ready, set, legislate.