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You'd think it would be fairly easy to control for population density. However the study abstract indicates the only other confounding variable they controlled for was 'temperature'.

EDIT: And the link between cities and higher crime seems to be well known and well studied. Here's what a quick google turns up: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/250109?seq=1#metadata_i...

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Since they were looking at increases in violence and air pollution on a daily interval, temperature was probably there to control for weather-related phenomena.

Very interesting - I remember a study when I was at uni saying that mobile phone masts were linked to cancer rates. They also forgot that mobile phone masts were normally on top of very tall buildings and very tall buildings often house lots and lots of people.

So yes the incidence of cancer was higher in that area, but as soon as you controlled for population density, that effect disappeared.

Stuck with me as the 'most dangerous place' was a group of flats near the house I lived in at that time. I guessed it might be due to population density and was relived to find that was the case some time later.

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