Cancer clusters can be dismissed as random coin-flip groupings.

Evidence

Cheeseman paused, and then he added: “As a practical matter, I don’t believe those chemicals in the water made anyone sick.” … “No one knows what causes leukemia,” explained Cheeseman. “And no one knows what caused this cluster. I personally think it’s just a matter of chance. If you took a hundred pennies and threw them in the air, half would land heads and the other half would land tails. If you looked around carefully, you’d probably be able to find some heads grouped together in a cluster. But it’s purely a matter of chance. No one can explain it.” — , Harr Jonathan - A Civil Action, 879

Categorization

• SEED: A piece on the statistics of cancer clusters: how the coin-flip defense works, when it is legitimate, and when it is a shield for real harm.
• QUESTION: How do cluster studies actually distinguish a genuine environmental cluster from chance groupings? Worth chasing the epidemiology.
• XREF: connects to: Epidemiology needs large case counts, so rare-cluster proofs must broaden their outcome measures — , Harr Jonathan - A Civil Action , 634; Statistical cancer increases can be measured without establishing their cause. — , Harr Jonathan - A Civil Action , 163

Broader Connections

• Statistical cancer increases can be measured without establishing their cause. #corroborates (0.75) — , Harr Jonathan - A Civil Action, 163