Dan Rockwell
Joined: 10 Dec 2001
Posts: 1988
Location: Stamford, CT, USA |
Scientists Probe Nev. Cancer Cluster
 Wed Aug 21, 2002 9:39 am
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August 20, 2002
Scientists Probe Nev. Cancer Cluster
By BRENDAN RILEY
ASSOCIATED PRESS
FALLON, Nev.- High levels of arsenic and tungsten were found in residents of this northern Nevada town during an investigation of a mysterious cancer cluster, government scientists reported Tuesday.
There's no known correlation, however, between high levels of the minerals and acute lymphocytic leukemia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Of the 16 confirmed childhood leukemia victims linked to Fallon since 1997, three have died. Eight of 10 residents showed high levels of tungsten, compared to the national average of one in 10, according to the CDC's Dr. Carol Rubin.
A third of the residents had arsenic levels above 50 parts per billion, high enough to cause a wide range of health problems. Tungsten was mined for years in Fallon, about 60 miles southeast of Reno, before the mines were shut down, and arsenic occurs naturally in the area.
Rubin said studies have linked arsenic to some adult cancers, but not to acute lymphocytic leukemia. She said there have been no studies on possible links between tungsten and acute lymphocytic leukemia.
State epidemiologist Randall Todd said the latest research opens a new area of inquiry.
"This was on nobody's radar screen as something to consider," he said of the tungsten data. "This opens a door to another room that we didn't know existed."
The CDC study is not expected to be completed until this fall, but health officials had promised worried residents that any unusual findings would be released immediately. Some officials suspect an environmental cause for the cancer cluster.
Fallon's water supply for decades has contained naturally occurring arsenic at 100 parts per billion, 10 times the federal standard, and the city is building a new water treatment plant.
Another focus of attention has been a jet fuel pipeline that serves Fallon Naval Air Station. In May, two federal agencies investigating the cancer cluster ruled the pipeline out as a public health hazard.
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http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/thrive/2002/aug/20/082001478.html
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