Cluster Cancer Outbreaks
Posted by
Lauren EllermanOctober 25, 2007 9:01 AMDid you see the movie Erin Brokovitch? The Julia Robert's movie where small plaintiff firm takes on polluter because children in a small town are getting cancer at alarming rates. It was based on a true story, and it seems we haven't learned our lesson. Today the AP printed an article on Cancer in community north of Philadelphia.
Elevated Cancer Level Found in Pa. MICHAEL RUBINKAM writes
The federal government says it found an elevated number of cases of a rare blood cancer in northeastern Pennsylvania but uncovered no link to any possible cause in the environment.
The U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry became involved after residents expressed concern about polycythemia (pah-lee-sy-THEE'-mee-ah) vera, or PCV, a cancer that results in the overproduction of red blood cells and can lead to heart attack or stroke.
The agency reported on its findings Wednesday night at a heated community meeting at which residents of this low-income coal region accused the government of minimizing the threat posed by numerous environmental hazards, including a former toxic waste dump where some PCV patients live.
"This is an outrage," said Dr. Peter Baddick, a local internist who was among the first to sound the alarm about PCV. "You downplayed it."
I would be so interested in learning who (meaning what age) was getting what type of cancer. It is very scary - but as more and more chemicals are put into our air, water, food, toys etc - our physicians need to have the tools to fight it - its no longer true that only 40 year olds get breast cancer.
For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Toxic and Hazardous Substances.