In terms of priority, if blast cells were reported they were assigned the highest level of importance (Fig. 5b, c, d), and this was irrespective of whether leukaemia was diagnosed (Fig. 5d) or not.
For example, villages 0-G and 3 5 had very close median arsenic levels, 0.030 and 0.032 ppm, respectively (Lamm et al. 2006); if there was a threshold at 0.150 ppm, as proposed by Lamm et al., one would expected an increased risk in village 0-G, where the residents had exposure levels up to 0.770 ppm, but not in village 3 5, where all residents were assigned the exposure level of 0.032 ppm.
In a study published in the November 2005 issue of Epidemiology, researchers reported observing effects nearly three times greater than those seen in earlier studies in which all the individuals within a given metropolitan area were assigned the same level of exposure based on the average ambient concentration observed at fixed points in that city.
Public surface water supplies from past residences were assigned the average measured level of surface water in the study population (0.30 μg/L).
Four traffic density exposure levels were defined, each representing an approximate 2-fold increase in VMT/mi across the study area, and study participants were assigned the traffic density level of the TAZ in which they resided [see Supplemental Material (doi 10.1289/ehp.0901182) for additional details].
Samples with undetectable levels were assigned the value of the lower detection limit.
In the case of IL-6 measurements, 55% of samples had undetectable levels and were assigned the value of the lower detection limit to allow for statistical analyses; these assigned values may not reflect the true IL-6 concentration.
Respondents reporting an HbA1c level above 12%% were assigned the value of 13%% for analytical purposes.
Undetectable levels of cTnT were assigned the value of the lower limit of the assay, 10 pg/ml.
eIn the full sample, cases in counties with fewer than 10 surgical episodes were assigned the CTS site-level value of this variable.
