TY - JOUR
T1 - Causation and disease
T2 - Biomedical science in toxic tort litigation
AU - Muscat, Joshua
AU - Huncharek, Michael S.
PY - 1989/12
Y1 - 1989/12
N2 - Inferences concerning the etiology of disease in human populations are derived from complex quantitative and biologic data. Interpreting these inferences in toxic tort litigation poses difficult problems for courts. Fundamental differences exist between courtroom and scientific criteria of causation. These differences need not be irreconcilable if courts understand the nature, strengths, and limitations of scientific evidence. We discuss the interpretation of basic scientific principles of disease causation in the context of legal rules of evidence, and develop an epidemiologic evidentiary standard for toxic tort litigation.
AB - Inferences concerning the etiology of disease in human populations are derived from complex quantitative and biologic data. Interpreting these inferences in toxic tort litigation poses difficult problems for courts. Fundamental differences exist between courtroom and scientific criteria of causation. These differences need not be irreconcilable if courts understand the nature, strengths, and limitations of scientific evidence. We discuss the interpretation of basic scientific principles of disease causation in the context of legal rules of evidence, and develop an epidemiologic evidentiary standard for toxic tort litigation.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0024811799&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1097/00043764-198912000-00013
DO - 10.1097/00043764-198912000-00013
M3 - Article
C2 - 2614542
AN - SCOPUS:0024811799
VL - 31
SP - 997
EP - 1002
JO - Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
JF - Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
SN - 1076-2752
IS - 12
ER -