Lies, Damn Lies and Stats

Bad news for aging rich guys desperate for a male heir. A widely reported study last year found that the older the husband and the younger the wife, the more likely their first child would be a boy. Unfortunately, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Statistical Assessment Service, the finding was the result of a poor sampling and has since been dismissed by three research teams. A couple’s chances of having a male child for any given live birth are about 51.4%. Could this be the end then for the trophy wife? Nah.

Stats II

You probably wouldn’t want to picnic near one, but working in a nuclear research lab might not be as hazardous to your health as suggested by a cancer study last year. According to the 1997 study, researchers found that 29% of all deaths among employees of one lab were attributable to cancer. Sounds scary, points out the Statistical Assessment Service, but not when put in context. For the general population, 35% of all deaths for those between 44 and 65 are due to cancer, as are 25% of deaths for those over 44. Thus, the workers died from cancer at about the same rate as anyone else. So, go ahead, take that job at the nuclear lab.

Where There’s Smoke

Not only do people not want to kiss an ashtray, but they don’t want to smell like one either. A new product called Banish may be the answer for people whose clothes reek of tobacco smoke. The water-based spray promises to remove smoke odor in clothes and hair. If that doesn’t work, you can stop smoking. For information, call (612) 832-5000.

Listen Up

No one doubts that exercising in a health club is good for you--well, depending on your club’s stereo system. Citing studies that show loud noise levels can cause permanent hearing loss, a small Massachusetts citizens group is lobbying to limit the music in health clubs to 80 decibels or less. (The sound of a lawn mower is about 90 decibels.) A 1995 study found that 60% of health clubs play music exceeding 110 decibels. Of course, sometimes you can barely hear the music over the groaners working with free weights.