Federal epidemiologists have identified a twenty mile stretch in Pennsylvania between Hazleton and Tamaqua where citizens are 400 times more likely to develop a rare blood disorder called polycythemia vera, or PV — a form of cancer. A local Superfund site is being cited as a possible cause, but no conclusion has been reached on the cause for the cancer cluster.
The area is home to several Superfund sites and a power plant fired by waste coal. In particular, citizens are talking about a recycler that processed hundreds of thousands of gallons of paint sludge, waste oils, used solvents, PCBs, cyanide, pesticides and many other known or suspected carcinogens. The site was shutdown in 1979, though it is unclear if the owners were ever prosecuted or forced to pay damages.
For the full story, click here.ytrgfdsrrewq
I belong to a webgroup for people with Polycythemia Vera and Essential Thrombocythemia. I have ET. It is sometimes difficult to dx the difference, but in ET we have only high platelets, while in PV they have high platelets and high hematocrit.
It is interesting that my grandparents lived near Hazelton in Monhonoy City. The family worked in the mines, but left so that the children would not work there–they moved to Butte, and then Seattle. Is there a genetic weakness here? No one knows. PV and ET are not supposed to be inherited but there ARE clusters in families. My uncle from that family died of leukemia.
When we passed through Hazelton I saw people who looked like they were related to me, and probably they were related because of the very large families born in my grandparents’ day.
Mespo,
That was an interesting story about Schlictmann. He was one committed individual. Patty C, That would be horrible to be working on a major case like that with all of that evidence of the damage this corporation’s actions had caused to the people of Woburn, and then have your baby diagnosed with Leukemia! Wow! I hope they are still ok and that the Leukemia is in remission.
Patty C,
A civil action was a great movie and should be required reading and/or watching for all students. The story of how craven the industrial world is and how they will stop at nothing in preventing their waste from being proved as the link to the many diseases that real people are suffering is an example of how a fascist regime protects its illegal and immoral benefactors. Remember, it is just a coincidence that a Superfund site is nearby this unbelievable cancer cluster. Or as I prefer to call it, a cancer death cluster.
****
It was a pretty big case and there were a lot of people within my social and working circles who were touched in one way or another for years.
A lawyer friend who does insurance defense work, but never for me, was involved in the case, had one of HIS own babies, diagnosed with leukemia at the same time. They never lived in Woburn.
Last I knew, he was fine, but can you imagine?
rafflaw:
I met Jan Schlichtmann at one of those pretentious trial lawyer conventions and found him warm, committed and selfless–in essence a true believer. He started a broadcast network to educate lawyers and consumers about environmental issues and ways to address the problems short of litigation. He may not ride a white horse but his willingness to sacrifice his personal financial security on behalf of his grievously injured clients makes him a much better man than me. The movie was very accurate based on my dealing with litigation against the Fortune 100 crowd. I once negotiated a settlement with one of our automakers that was confidential only to have a out of state lawyer call and ask me about the settlement. After declining to comment we checked back and found the lawyer and the firm were fictitious. Wonder who had an interest is challenging the confidentiality of that settlement?
Patty C,
A civil action was a great movie and should be required reading and/or watching for all students. The story of how craven the industrial world is and how they will stop at nothing in preventing their waste from being proved as the link to the many diseases that real people are suffering is an example of how a fascist regime protects its illegal and immoral benefactors. Remember, it is just a coincidence that a Superfund site is nearby this unbelievable cancer cluster. Or as I prefer to call it, a cancer death cluster.
Mike,
I’m thinking more like mean the novel writing machines in 1984. Either way, something seems to be jammed.
Gyges,
Thanks. He’s just posted 4 times answering my last 2 line post. It is possibly some evilly designed computer program.
it doesn’t surprise me at all.
Mike,
Also, thank you for provided the best laugh this morning. I think you started a one man feedback loop in that thread… Pure genius.
Mike,
Correlation doesn’t equal causality, but it does help indicate it.I’d think a link would be pretty easy to establish, maybe a look a the drainage patterns in the area, the water tables, etc. combined with predominate wind patterns compared to the concentration of cases in residents. There’s probably some stuff I’m not taking into consideration, but that’s what experts are for.
If you need more ‘data’, read or watch ‘A Civil Action’ Wobun, MA or the ever popular Erin Brokovitch PG&E Hinkkley, CA story, to name a couple.
Blah, Blah, Blah goes Spector and people are getting sick and dying. While it may be true as the story says, that no scientific link has been proven between environmental contamination and this disease, only the foolish and the greedy would doubt it. We can remember the years that the Nicotine industry protested the evidence between smoking and lung cancer/heart disease. Industrial contamination can only be a disaster for our environment, without regard to the nature of the disaster. While of course in life we know some thing are counterintuitive, sludge on/in the land and water is inherently a bad thing.