what does that mean?

He/She is implying that by eating non-organic plants or animals, the children have gotten the cancers due to chemicals in said plants or animals.

These fears are unfounded - I would sooner look to the washing machine place; check their pocketbooks and those of your testers. See if any common numbers come up.

It's not unfounded to say that pesticides cause defects and cancers. In fact, go ahead and google "pesticide link to leukemia."

I am not concluding that pesticides are the answer to this story, but it is foolish to not test the ground. "The" source doesn't have to be concentrated in one site, especially in agricultural areas.

blame obama for this yet? haliburton did it

REALLY stupid comment, "bspurloc."

It's interesting that there are a lot of fruit orchards in and around Clyde. Fruit trees grow well there, due to the climate caused by proximity to the lake. One must wonder if some sort of pesticide or chemical is being used in abundance.

Yes you are right I would check the formula, baby food ect. Where is the closest bottling company for baby food? it has to be somthing the kids are sharing did they test for voc's in the water. remember the lead paint insident.

I believe there is a commonality in cancer clusters. "Farmland"! If my memory serves me correctly, agriculture has been suspect of cancer clusters before, primarily because of the extensive usage of pesticides, chemical fertilizers and herbicides.

Through the years, I have read of other cancer clusters and all were situated around agriculture. Recently where I live, a school became a cancer cluster site. The school was built on abandoned fields of agriculture. And, this nation's cancer rate just creeped higher, too.

clusters of leukemia and other problems could be because of anything from Xmas tree farms' pesticide use to fracking

pesticides and chemicals are ruining our ground water and killing plants and animals(including humans) and we sit by - oh, well....anyone want to buy some land near water in south Louisiana real cheap?>

Maybe it's the tight little gene pool these small towns have. lol

I would definitely be going organic if I had to live in the area. Between pesticides in produce and weird hormones being given to livestock I wouldn't be inclined to risk my health.

Something I didn't hear mentioned is the parents exposure to toxins as they were maturing. The northeast quarter of Ohio dealt with massive pollution in the 60'S. It was bad enough that when a river caught fire it tooks days to put it out. Seems that industries had polluted it so badly with toxins and waste the fire fed on the toxins]

As someone already alluded to, it may be a gene pool thing - "Most families have been here for generations. It's the kind of place where teens can't wait to leave — only to find they can't wait to come back to start a family.".

Supposedly the tendency to develop cancer, or not, can be familial. Genealogy can reveal some intermarriage, and in small towns they may not even know it. The Ohio town where my mother lives has a town center with a historical farm plat map on the wall - all the surnames are still in town, and the families intertwined for generations. (We were newcomers, and no cancer cluster known.)

Sorry to be cynic. These clusters are almost always explained if someone really wants them to be explained. But as long as there are deep pockets....

Genetic problems due to intermarriage would explain certain teratogenic aberations and developmental issues but not cancers.

They should check for high voltage power lines near the schools.

Inbreeding can cause gene mutation. I tested positive on the BRAC1 and BRAC2 gene test which means I will have cancer if I do nothing preventative. They believe it's from my Scottish blood line. My great great Grandparents were immigrants. That would be, however, something each child would be born with and not develop later in life. This sounds more like an outside cause rather than incest.

I appreciate honesty in these threads but I don't appreciate people being cruel. Those who have made their jokes or insinuated these people are less than because they're in a small town, only make themselves look like stupid jerks.

I would tend to think the issue more topographic, and I would examine the facility where most of the children are born. I am not entirely sure, but it does appear from topographical maps that Clyde and the surrounding area is in a topographical depression.

That might just suggest that airborne carcinogens are much more prevalent during peak hours, or when the winds would carry the possible toxins into that basin from surrounding facilities.

Of course there is always the possibility that the EPA is not being truthful in their results to protect a much larger issue.

The first thing that came to my mind was coal tar.

There was a coal tar waste area in a town near me that caused two cases of neuroblastoma in young kids and they both died.

When I Google info on coal tar, to my amazement it is used as a pavement sealer! What do kids do that most grownups don't? They ride bikes all of the time. This would subject them to coal tar at a higher rate if this sealer is extremely prevelant in the area. Most people in my town have concrete driveways. What about this town though?

I'm not sayin' anything, I'm just sayin'.....Definitely worth looking into.

It is the toxic waste injected below the surface. "the dump of toxic sludge."

The parents have it too, but it will surface in different ailments,(later);... children are "canaries in a coal mine" ..There are animals there that have the traces of the toxins in them as well. The politics are "too" strong and keep damning evidence just under every ones noses. There are jobs at risk,bills to pay ,and the nagging pain to"EVERYONE" ''whos to blame''? is it so "obscure"?
. It is a sacrifice....,(the children),... for a way of life that "once-was", but clearly is "no-more"...... but some will stand against it (resistants,) for the truth, and the ones that have fear of the "whole truth" will slow or even stop the justice that is due. These people will have to make the choice,.... they will all have to stand together to reap their justice or loose the battle and pay in not only in lifes, but the life-long pain of knowing what should have been done.

Many have brought up valid reasons; dishonesty in testing due to liabilities, factories, Bessie being close by, .... whatever the cause, it's there, and could eventually be found. Although doubtful about the indirect limited gene pool bit, it's incorrect to say that cancer isn't passed down genetically; research it, it's a trigger that may or may not be pulled, but it's there and if both parents have this, then propensity goes up.

It sounds more plausable that something ran into the groundwater system; generations have been living here, so it's doubtful that anything was ever buried there as tales would've been passed down about it. None probably knew anything about it, being underground, and for whatever reason it's more or less cesspooled under this area; digging, planting, pools, farming, etc... is possibly disturbing whatever it is, and in more concentrated areas of the chemical AND where it's being disturbed by those more gentically susceptable, well.... there's the clustering.

I really like some of the comments that have been posted here. Riverdog, Alex, Moderation, Hatchet, Steve, and many more. Thanks for some interesting posts.

I'd be really worried about products being sold at Wall Mart and coming from China. Crap laden with lead, mercury, etc. Also remember that cancers are mutated cells and are opportunistic so any lowered immune system is at risk. Especially kids, which usually have bad eating habits, are at risk. High content cholesterol, fat, and carbohydrate industrialized foods do not offer nutritional value. These bad eating habit is also one of the reasons America is becoming obese and diabetes is increasing. High nutritional value foods would fortify the immune system rather than lower it. I would also not rule out living near transmission and repeater antennas as well as high tension power lines. Most schools are either underneath them or near them as government tries to buy cheap land to build schools. All these radioactive devices would definitely be suspect.

There is an issue that is not being discussed. I have heard it called the Uncle Ben's Rice Paradox. If you were to throw the contents of a box of Uncle Ben's Rice into the air, you would expect that it would result in an even distribution of rice across the floor. This is the "statistical expectation" --- that diseases such as cancer would be evenly distributed across the population.

But in real life the rice does not distribute evenly. There are spots where no rice falls and spots with clumps of rice. And the same thing happens with disease. For no good reason there are places where disease does not occur and places where there are concentrations of disease.

It is an extremely difficult problem to resolve since it is extremely difficult to tell whether spots with no rice or populations with no disease (or the opposite cases) are naturally occurring or have a reason. This is made more difficult when there is a concentration of disease because medical people become hypervigilant and cases are detected sooner and more often.

It is always very difficult for people's minds to accept that an event that effects them seriously might just be a random occurrence. The human mind wants to form patterns in every case --- even when there is no patter. It's just the way the human brain works and is also the cause of the massive number of conspiracy theories and distrust of government and science.

And, on top of it all, there is the little-talked-about nocebo effect. We know that if you give patients sugar pills and tell them that they are being given potent drugs, that a significant percentage of patients will get better. That is called the placebo effect and is often cited as how powerful a control the human mind exercises over the human body. But there is an equal reverse effect. When people believe that they will succumb to a disease, a certain number will begin to exhibit symptoms and some will actually catch it. This is called the nocebo effect. And the nocebo effect is just as powerful as the placebo effect and must be factored out of any investigation.

Chris,

Which answer is more plausible though?

A) They are being exposed to toxins and pesticides from living next to a dump and many farms.

B) Theres is a localization of low probability occurances.

Mac, did you read the article? Most of the experts do NOT think this is occurring as a "natural" statistical spike.

Yes,

a natural outlyer. Then too, pumping waste into the ground near town sounds like a source.

Doobie,

Try reading the article again. You missed it the first time. They have been closely watching this "cancer cluster" since 1996 and have yet to find any common element with any of the cases.

I will guarantee you that if you start intensively monitoring any area anywhere and get public concern up, you will find a huge increase in diagnosed cases of childhood disease. This is because delayed diagnosis is common among children and much is missed until later in life.

We almost never find the cause of either disease clusters or absence of disease (which occurs equally often.) This is generally thought to be because it is an anomaly, but has no cause as such.

...And this is what happened in Norco, California from Wyle Labs. This hit really close to home, my parents lived there for 18 years. The stucco pealed off of houses in this area, horses were dying at a rapid rate (we lost 3 of them!), neighbors were being diagnosed with cancer left and right. This kind of junk has been going on for decades. Insane!

You are so right, Rebecca. It seems most cancer clusters are affiliated with agriculture and pesticides.

And since some of us- spend all our money on plant based cleaners and organic foods, and try to make it that way- it gives a stronger arguement that they should indeed take responsibility for the waste, or not make it at all. It's hard to go shopping fro natural products, and without these companies, it could be a lot easier for me to find products I consider nurishing.

If everyone who commented on this article actually wrote to the government, we could be progress. If they said exactly what they said here.

agreed.

Do some research on Vickery waste site before you spout off. It has undergone extensive oversight and testing and has received awards for the quality of its procedures.

I remember the US government declaring the Marshall Islands clean, after all those years of nuclear bomb testing. I still don't believe it.

Yeah, Science Guy, I think BP had the same standing before the gulf spill.

They live next to a toxic waste dump and in the middle of farmland. No one should be shocked they have cancer.

I have worked on superfund sites that have been "contained". Believe me when I say, their standards for containment are very low. On top of that, in one site, they had the well tests wrong. We were told the water we would be pumping out of the well was "clean". We pulled up a black sludge filled with PCBs and PAHs.

If you want an even better picture of environmental reports, just look up fracking in pennsylvania. Every business says it is safe and clean, yet they do not even test for many of the chemicals they inject into the gas veins. On top of that, companies like Halliburtan won't even discolse their findings to the government.

Anyway, these people are surrounded by toxins and carcinogens. The fact that so many of them have gotten cancer is no statistical anomaly.

The deep injection of toxic waste is just a more deadly form of fracking.

In Colorado the US Army caused earthquakes for 4 years in the 1960s with the injection of millions of gallons of toxic waste from the Rocky Mountain Arsenal into a well 11,000 feet deep.

They are still monitoring wells in the area for polution.

Just look with eyes open and you will see family farmers polluting the ground, the produce, and the meats with pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, etc.

I'm sure those commercial farming practices don't vary that widely from the rest of the nation to this small town... but what does differ is that pesky toxic waste dump this small town has.

I saw that too. I wouldn't be suprised at all if they found something like this.

Marcy, you are talking about a virus, the hanta virus. I believe many cancers are caused by unnatural toxins, like pesticides. For years, pesticides have been considered a strong carcinogen. Since 1949, man has been spewing 500,000 new toxins into the atmosphere, the land and the seas.

Viruses are spawned upon ecological devastation, like plowing, chainsawing and bulldozing terrestrial ecosystems for all the whatevers.

Yeah, I worked for a Pest Control company that couldn't relocate because they'd have to dig (I think they said 20ft) in order to rezone it for another commercial property. Pest control companies are a HUGE danger. I watched training videos about proper attire that should be worn when applying certain products. Yet......they're applying it to our soil. I don't even want to get into the dangers of run off.

Wow, so sad! I cannot believe that these things are out there and no one looks at them! I would leave that place faster than I could pack.

Wow! As a person who works in health care and a mother, just to know that my children could be at risk of any health problems not to minchon something as deadly as cancer. I would MOVE, MOVE, MOVE. I love where I live in the country hunting and fishing. But not at the exspence of my children. Cancer is brutal and very painful and if you make it through it, your never the same and my patients would tell you they would have give anything to AVOID having CANCER. I feel for these families. Personaly no place on earth is worth my children's health. I would give it all up.

It borders on abuse . . . To stay and continue having children . . . exposing your children to a known danger.

It won't be easy but get out of there people. The question is often asked of people in danger zones "Why didn't you leave?" (Poland's Jewish ghettos during WW2 come to mind. People living in known flood zones also come to mind.)

If you risk your own life that's one thing. Young childrens' lives another thing. The fact that car seats had to be required by law says a lot about the mentality of some parental figures.

Statistically this is about the same scenario.

That sounds better than using these poor kids as guinnea pigs...Just sayin'.

Great Point Don! Why haven't investigators check the watershed and the fish and/or wildlife consumed for toxins??

Hi Jack,

Vaccines would be unlikely as there are multiple required vaccines for all children throughout the nation, not just that area. If vaccines were the case we would be seeing high cancer rates throughout the entire country. Good thought, though.

Vaccines???? they are not produced anywhere near this town. Also, if vaccines were to blame, kids everywhere would be getting these same cancers. If you don't like vaccines, go to a Childrens' Hospital and watch a child die from Polio. The causative agents of childhood diseases are NOT gone, we just don't see these illnesses much, BECAUSE kids are immunized.

FAMILY NURSE PRACTITIONER, MICROBIOLOGIST (IMMUNOLOGY AND VIROLOGY), AND ENERGY HEALER

Andi,

You are right vaccines stop horrible diseases. They also cause horrific side effects, including brain damage and death. Saying that vaccines aren't responsible for these horrific side effects is the same thing as the govt saying that environmental pollution isn't to blame for this cancer cluster. I think we all agree that's BS.

It could be caused by vaccines. Vaccines have high level of toxins, though not high enough to cause cancer on their own. Then add in high but determined safe level toxins from the environment and mutation can occur all within what was determined to be a safe environment.

wow replies . it was just a passing thought with the vaccine thing, wifes a trauma nurse has seen more then i have in this sorta thing. my instinct goes pretty much with the govt not doing their jobs testing as i had contracted legionairres disease working pest control. nobody would go out and test places where i had worked because i was only 1 person and i diddnt die from it they said in the end written in their gold govt letterhead. so much for the govt working for the people that pay them.

That is why corporate America loves China. They do not care how polluted the air, water, or soil gets. When the Chinese start dying off soon and they cut the nuts off these greedy a holes.

One of the investigative tv shows got into a dump in China a couple years back - they should rerun their findings. Indigent Chinese families were picking through the debris of discarded computer monitors and the like, to salvage some of the metals for resale. The ground they stood in was lead filled, they had sores and health issues, the earth around them was black and poisonous - appalling. Made the old story of Lake Erie catching fire (70s?) pale in comparison. Corporate America likes Mexico too, when it comes to certain manufacturing.

Linda - I empthasize with your idea. However each and every one of us votes FOR them with each and every careless purchase we make every day.

Dollars are the votes that keep Corporate America in power.

I am as guilty as the next person. I purchase gasoline, non-organic produce, detergent to keep clothes clean, etc. etc.

What is a possible solution? FYI - I am an organic gardener, have a few hens for good eggs, and purchase expensive alternatives when available to non-organic items. I also refuse to purchase certain items which represent to me the worst of the offensive items. It's a drop in the bucket but it's at least something.

And yes, the comment about off shore production of some of our products to third world countries and even China was right on. The misery and pollution of foreign environments will come back to bite us on our backsides. It seems inexpensive to get Chinese goods at wally-world but when the bill comes due it's going to be difficult. At least be aware of this possibility when making purchases.

Awareness of problems is literally half the battle. Mindfulness when making buying decisions is what will affect what is on our shelves.

well i beg to differ -- i think they are completely foolish to continue to risk their lives and the lives of their children -- what are they gonna say to their kids when they find out it could have been prevented if moved -- and i know something about this -- as my husband has genetic cancer and we picked up moved from our home and moved because we didn't want to be where we were during his cancer treatment -- it's not being 'scared' -- it's about possibly doing something for the better of your family...

Michelle....I totally agree with you..these people need to think about their children FIRST

And I wonder if they even consider the possibility that the crap they're injecting could possibly surface.

There has to be some kind of fallout from what they are doing.

Den

just for a moment think about how those caverns and pockets got there.

After reading almost all of these responses. I would really take a look at who is doing all of these test in your area. As many have said they have DEEP pockets. I would get a outside company to come in and run their own test just for the sake of the town, children, and the parents.

Close your account. Then open with a new email address. Just use your first name. Keep it simple. Then they will assign a number to it.

Or you could skip the number.

I definitely wont get it, since the only time I get sick is when I get a flu shot.

this started before H1N1 even existed... and much before there was a vaccine for it.

The H1N1 vaccine would not have caused this, because that strain of the flu only had a vaccine developed with last year's flu season. Also, H1N1 is just a strain of the flu that is included in the vaccine this year; each year the strains most likely to be prevalent are included in the vaccine. The H1N1 vaccine really shouldn't be associated with different side effects than the seasonal flu vaccine.

Also, I know a lot of people say that they get sick after they get a flu shot, and while it is true that you can experience some cold-like side effects after getting the vaccine, a lot of times people think that it protects against the stomach flu, which it does not. It protects against influenza, which is much more serious than the stomach flu.

Considering that it isn't generally recommended that pregnant women get an influenza immunization, this opinion seems flawed to me. Stillbirths and miscarriages are a tragic but an expected outcome of pregnancy.

Conspiracy theories holding more weight than actual scientific method? What a shock.

This is nothing but corrupt statistics. Since I understand statistics I decided to read the report used by them.

Among the things wrong in it are:

1: No sample data (for example: who are they, how were they selected)

2: No description of method

It does however mention that they have 248 cases of miscarriages among people who had that vaccination. This is a biased sample since there is no mention of any other people in the study; they seemed to choose only people who fit this criteria. Since they disregarded anybody who did not have a miscarriage AND the vaccine they have people who "prove" their agenda due to the 100% incidence rate. Did they dismiss everybody who did not fit this, or did they look around only for people who had a miscarriage after the vaccine?

Statisticians do not cherry-pick their sample like this.

Truthseeker77, stay away from this group. They are doing nothing more than preying on the fears of people who need answers, and have no idea how to interpret the pseudo-science they are using. Their study should be disregarded and instead we should take a look at what Mark Twain would say about this study.

Most of the "study" is just bashing the CDC, rather than trying to prove anything. They also "ask" leading questions at the end. It's junk. Ignore them.

Several years ago I got a flu shot and had the flu twice that year. I got a flu shot this year and was sick for 5 weeks with a cold, respitory and sinus infection.

Real Chicken broth(from a REAL chicken) take it for two weeks.... the GAP diet check it out :) Clean your body and reintroduce one food at a time... youd be floored on the results...

Last time i checked those were movies.

brockavich (sp?) was a TRUE story.

Yeah, and the Erin Brokavich story is based on well documented, and publicly recorded fact, a movie depiction of actual events. I recall the Kilmer movie, but think I've only seen it once. Well, this crap will keep on happening, because people do not stand against it. If there is an outbreak of illness, you leave, unless quarantined by a Government agency. If there is a flood, move to higher ground, and earthquake, move to a sturdy door frame. When there is mass illness, leave before it gets you too. Take a stand, in order to change anything

The very big point you make is that our government is corrupt! Not only in the story you all are commenting on, but a lot of other things. And you know what it all comes down to is money and greed. Money comes before our children's health or yours!

Hey im as close as you can get to being broke... my 4 kids are happy healthy and vibrant(im 26)... grow your own!!!