In Massachusetts, eight individuals experienced an unexplained episode of vitamin D intoxication that required hospitalization; it was thought that these unusual occurrences might be the result of excessive supplementation of dairy milk. Blood levels of calcium and albumin–a type of protein–for each subject at the time of hospital admission are provided below. Calcium (mmol/l) Albumin (g/l) 2.92 43 3.84 42 2.37 42 2.99 40 2.67 42 3.17 38 3.74 34 3.44 42
a. Find the mean, median, standard deviation and range of the recorded calcium levels.
b. Compute the mean, median, standard deviation and range of the given albumin levels.
c. For healthy individuals, the normal range of calcium values is 2.12 to 2.74 mmol/l, while the range of albumin levels is 32 to 55 g/l. Do you believe that patients suffering from vitamin D intoxication have normal blood levels of calcium and albumin?
