var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); But she is also a musical girl who enjoys life and loves to sing. _gaq.push(['gwo._setDomainName', 'none']); Added pediatrician Shairi Turner, deputy secretary of the department: We want to find an answer to what is causing brain cancer in your children.. It would be an act of war, Dycus notes. The one kind of contamination that distinguished the Acreage, according to Hatfield, was ionizing radiation, which was not just an established cause of brain cancer but the byproduct of local industry. The community was in Some left that three-hour meeting feeling more frustrated than when they arrived. A cancer cluster is a high concentration of people diagnosed with cancer who all live or work within a close proximity of one another. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a cancer cluster as a greater-than-expected number of cancer cases that occurs within a group of people in a geographic area over a period of time. Yet because elevated numbers of any disease can occur by chance, and because cancer is relatively rare and its incredibly difficult to determine if rare events occur by chance the vast majority of investigations into suspected clusters dont confirm them. August 21, 2013 Each day held a new surprise for them. Please specify what type of assistance you need so we can better assist you. They wanted us to move on and say our water was fine, recalls Tracy Newfield, who was a member of the group. The couples two sons, Isaac, 4, and Ilan, 2, were born here, and they are growing up in a neighborhood where tall pines, open spaces and a variety of family pets are commonplace. '&utmxhash='+escape(h.substr(1)):'')+'" type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8">')})(); In the Acreage, there were many possible hazards to consider. But the effect of confirming The Acreage as a cancer cluster was immediate. It is time for more aggressive and decisive action.. Though nothing stood out as the obvious cause, they felt such findings should have prompted further testing. We have learned whats truly important in life, and its definitely not a house, she says. Workers dressed in protective gear sometimes sprayed pesticides in the citrus groves that abut Seminole Ridge High, even as teenagers practiced on nearby sports fields in shorts and T-shirts. Our Platform. But after two assessments of the plot in question found ubiquitous contamination, the deal quietly fell through. Eventually, the family moved to Tennessee, but even now the comments still sting. On Wednesday, 12 years In one sense, I would not go through what theyre going through every day of their lives, wondering if [regular testing for cancer] is going to come back positive, she says. In June of 2009, a local reporter got hold of one of the forms Dunsford was sending around and wrote a story about her efforts. During the next year, while Jenna was undergoing cancer treatment, both dogs developed tumors and died. We would like to keep a list of those in need so that when services become available we can notify you. By the time the tumor Hatfield didnt say how much she is seeking. In the fall of 2004, the little girl often played in the grass of her yard with her two dogs. Palm Beach County families are finally getting their time in court after years of concerns over a spike in cancer cases in and around The Acreage. Before you start printing and downloading, be sure you have read the article first. Type Media Center document.write(new Date().getFullYear()). 31. Their family menagerie includes two horses, a pony, seven dogs, goats and a pig. Judges tend to be, historically, extremely deferential to anything relating to national security, especially if it involves the military, says Stephen Dycus, a professor at Vermont Law School and the author ofNational Defense and the Environment. By May 2009, Jennifer Dunsford had developed a database documenting dozens of cancers in children and adults throughout the neighborhood. These include Cesium-137, Iridium-191, and Cadmium-109. There are about 10,000 houses in the area. Hell ask for something and say, I appreciate that you bought me that, but lets go snuggle. He values spending time with people.. And, most important, it would have ensured a higher level of enforcement than the state was likely to provide. WebThe Florida Department of Health has confirmed a pediatric brain cancer cluster in a rural community called The Acreage. 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? Trucking manifests and other documents will show that contaminated soil, most of which was shipped out on rail cars to hazardous disposal sitesin Michigan and South Carolina, was handled properly, he said. But thats not her focus. When Stephanie Peskowitz and her husband Ira bought a home in The Acreage five years ago, they figured they had found a woodsy paradise large enough for their dreams. At the time, neither Jennifer Dunsford nor Becky Samarripa considered that her childs illness might be part of something larger. utmx_section("Legacy Footer"), WE ARE NO LONGER COLLECTING THIS DATA - IF YOU HAVE A BRAIN CANCER CASE TO REPORT PLEASE CONTACT THE PALM BEACH COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, SIGN THE PETITION: Clyde Cancer Cluster claims 6th victim, New Approach to Treating Young Brain Cancer Patients. Throughout the 1980s, the EPA was preparing to designate Pratt & Whitneys South Florida location as a federal Superfund site, which would have required detailed public disclosure of the contamination and the various steps that would be taken to remediate it. _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); Contamination spread to the nearby aquifer and canals, and the lawsuit blames the two companies. Becky Samarripa felt the hostility, too. Shaggy cabbage-palm and cypress trees flank the neighborhoods sandy, unpaved roads. She had also gotten together with the mothers of other sick children, including Tracy Newfield, Becky Samarripa and Kaye McCann, as well as a few concerned friends and relatives, to see how they might get to the bottom of what was going on in the Acreage. While Hannah was recovering from her brain surgery, and the boy a 5-year-old named Garrett Dunsford was undergoing his own, the parents started talking. The company trumpeted the results of a ten-year investigation that found no statistically significant elevations in the overall cancer rates among the workforce throughout the state. Every day since, Ive woken up with a pit in my stomach, worrying about my children. The most likely cause the only cause is the transportation of Pratt Whitney materials to The Acreage, she said during opening statements. That declaration came as a relief to some Acreage residents, since it confirmed what many had long suspected. When she died, Jenna was 4 years old. Jet fuel, which was the suspected cause of another cancer cluster in Fallon, Nevada, may also have played a role at the Acreage. Those radionuclides that have been detected in the Acreage at above natural background rates but may be termed naturally occurring include Uranium-234, Uranium-235 Uranium-236, and elevated levels of the decay products of Thorium, particularly Lead-214 and Bismuth-214 and Actinium-228. var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); At the request of site members who just want to know how many brain tumorsand cysts are on the map, we have provided a breakdown below: By request, we have broken down the data we have collected by year: We are trying to update our Victim Database. But many were outraged when state health officials said that instead of environmental tests to hunt for the cancer cause, they would mount an awareness campaign instead. Not a good idea in the middle of Connecticut how about the middle of the Everglades?, One of those projects, known by its code name Suntan, was an engine to be powered by liquid hydrogen, which was later scrapped in part because of the danger of explosion. that a federal district court improperly excluded three experts who said toxins from the companys property caused the kidney cancer that killed his wife. The lawsuit was filed in 2016, but the issue started well before in 2009 when several residents in the community reported brain and head tumors that were increasingly above expected rates. The Centers for Disease But the house is basically worthless, and where are you going to go in this job market?. At least at first, the land to the south of that was uninhabited and, since much of it was underwater, largely uninhabitable. Like Samarripa, Dunsford was consumed with her own crisis first, Garretts loss of the use of his left hand and arm; then, his misdiagnosis (Garretts doctor thought he had a sore elbow); and after his brain tumor was discovered, the failure of surgery to completely remove it. At Miami Childrens Hospital, where their son was treated, the Dunsfords met the family of another brain cancer patient who lived just a mile away. All of our data is self-reported by residents. I feel a panic for my kids health. Located 15 miles northwest of West Palm Beach, The Acreage is an area of dirt roads, riding trails and some 35,000 residents, many who moved here to get away from big city ills. So they were shocked to hear the health officials explain that the community was definitely experiencing a cluster of pediatric brain tumors, as well as elevated rates of all cancers at all ages. Become a member to support the independent voice of South Florida If I could move I definitely would, she said. In contrast to the smooth pavement and careful landscaping of coastal West Palm, the Acreage has a wild, almost jungly feel. So the plaintiffs attorneys have been constructing their case based on the defense contractors well-known history of involvement with projects that involve radioactive materials. Ditto the drinking water, which came from a well. There are other cancer clusters that occur without any obvious source of The groups efforts extend to sponsoring green-themed events, such as elementary-school poster contests on environmental topics and Earth Day Peace Jams., But the defense contractor and the county were less keen about publicizing contamination on the companys property. _gaq.push(['_setAllowHash', false]); The verdict said that the aerospace giant did not release pollution or transport radioactive materials into the community from its facility located along Beeline Highway in western Palm Beach County. WebThank you for visiting The Acreage Cancer Study website. Disclaimer: This map is intended to be used as a visual tool ONLY. Even though her children are healthy, she said her life was forever changed by that announcement four years ago. Thats why I am pushing for tests. Like most other suspected clusters, that one had failed upon investigation to clear the statistical bar. _gaq.push(['gwo._setAccount', 'UA-230305-28']); In Pratt & Whitneys case, no fancy PR was necessary: its product is already understood to be not just airplane and rocket engines but national security itself. The chances of so many childhood cancers concentrated in such a small place ranged from 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,000 -- a cancer cluster, experts determined. This article will provide you with some guidelines on how you can obtain high-quality maps. "We were just really shocked that it came back not in their favor," Stephanie Ankiel West of the B.R.A.I.N Cancer Foundation of the Treasure Coast said. In October celebrity environmental activist Erin Brockovich spoke to a town hall meeting in West Palm Beach, urging community unity. You start to wonder: what are the odds? said Greg Dunsford, an insurance agent. clicky.init(190756); var _gaq = _gaq || []; She knew and somehow understood and was OK with it, Kaye McCann said recently. So its to the credit of those who pushed for a more thorough look at the Acreage including then-Governor Charlie Crist and Senator Bill Nelson that an investigation into the possible causes of the cluster was launched at all. Attorneys claimed that the state failed to properly test for specific radioactive contamination, ignored concerns voiced by its own people and neglected to hold Pratt & Whitney accountable for not cleaning up years' worth of toxic contamination in the area.