Four Fallacies That Fraclctivists Use to Scare You, Part II

摘要

This article picks up from Part I that ran in the January 2016 issue of Compoundings. The False-Attribution Fallacy, continued Lets look briefly at the claim that coal causes asthma problems through power plants' emission of particulate matter (PM). Asthma or chronic respiratory disease has become more prevalent in Western countries. That has triggered a variety of theories about the causes. Claims about decreasing air quality or increasing exposure to toxins do not stand up, as the increase in prevalence seems to be strongest in countries with much improved environmental quality; for example, wealthier, cleaner West Germany had more asthma problems than poorer, dirtier East Germany.