An Analysis of Contaminated Well Water and Health Effects in Woburn
S.W. Lagakos, B.J. Wessen, M. Zelen September 1986 Journal of the American Statistical Association v.81, n. 395, p. 583-614
This article from the Journal of the American Statistical Association describes the 1979 discovery that two of the eight municipal wells servicing Woburn, Massachusetts, were contaminated with several chlorinated organics. Shortly afterwards, the town was found to have an elevated rate of childhood leukemia. The authors found positive statistical associations between access to this water and the incidence rates of childhood leukemia and perinatal deaths (1970-1982). The article discusses these results and other features of the data relevant to their interpretation.
