http://www.scotsman.com/the-scotsman/transport/study-reveals-traffic-link-to-autism-1-2969919
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
"Study reveals traffic link to autism"
(9 posts)-
Posted 12 years ago #
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We have anecdotal evidence that would back this up in Edinburgh. When we followed up children at home a sizeable proportion lived close to the bypass. Correlation not causal.? Pylons nearby also not good.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Sorry but anecdotal? Remember MMR.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Gembo - possibly an intervening variable which shapes which households more likely to be in such neighbourhoods?
Posted 12 years ago # -
If you think pylons have anything to with autism, cancer or any other condition I would advise you to immediately turn off your computer/phone and retreat to a lead lined underground bunker.
Also the plural of anecdote is not 'data'.
Posted 12 years ago # -
I personally know of twins where only one of them is autistic. Also,surely if families live in the same 'polluted' area for many years then this would suggest all their children should be autistic rather than the sole sufferer that many families have?
If you're in the countryside, it's the fertilisers and chemicals that will get you; if you're in the towns/cities, it's the traffic and pollution. Short of living on a boat on the ocean, it would appear nowhere is safe. Better to try to ENJOY life rather than analyse it to death and worry yourself into an early grave.
Anyone who decides to have a child takes a risk, despite taking every care during pregnancy, that their child might be born with difficulties.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Don't let me stop people from commenting on this forum, nor should I imagine any actual reading of what I actually said, as we are all very opinionated especially me but just for the hell of it -
I pointed out the fact that all research is correlational not causal, there is therefore plenty of room for intervening variables.
I named the data my service has as anecdotal. I am not generalising from this As it is a single data point. Many years ago one of the autistic classes had six pupils in P1 and five of them were born in the same hospital in the same week. This is still correlational not causal.
many factors are protective / preventative of autism. If twins were identical and one had autism and one didn't that would be an interesting finding.
My partner tried to convince me to buy a house in porty once that had a pylon in the garden and a railway line over the fence. It was cheap. My sister in law was even drafted in to persuade me. I could pickup radio Luxembourg in my fillings and googled the anti pylon website much anecdotal and correlational evidence which I was ale to draw upon.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Gembo - all sensibly and sanely put. My dad did research the pylon/substation link and found no connections. I probably still wouldn't buy a flat next to one though. and i have grave suspicions about the labs he used to work in - worrying high numbers of him and colleagues with brain tumours. all different ones though...
anyway, i think pocopiglet wins for common-sense. and is probably right to boot.
Posted 12 years ago # -
Sorry Gembo - any offense not meant. I just get frustrated when the concept of evidence is not used properly in policy-making, notably, for us, in transport policy.
Posted 12 years ago #
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