October 11, 2008

Metal remains at heart of Fallon leukemia inquiry

By Frank X. Mullen Jr.
fmullen@rgj.com

Scientists investigating the Fallon cancer cluster unveiled further results Friday about tungsten, an element found in abundance in the town where

17 children have been diagnosed with leukemia since 1997.

The preliminary results of one study indicate that tungsten-laced water caused sterility in older male mice. In another study, an analysis of tree leaves in Fallon showed that wind-borne tungsten collects on plants there in larger proportions than most other metals.

Those at the University of Nevada, Reno symposium theorized the Fallon epidemic might have been fueled by environmental factors that harmed the genes of the children who developed leukemia.

Of the 17 children in the cluster, three have died. The last child in the group was diagnosed in 2004.

Dr. William Murphy of the University of Nevada School of Medicine said even though the cancer cluster “seems to have abated,” it’s still important to determine the cause.

He and other team members said the Fallon case is unique because the cluster developed so fast in such a small area, and some of the factors that caused it may still exist there.

The research was funded by $750,000 in federal grants obtained by U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., for the Fallon Families organization.

Jeff Braccini, whose son Jeremy, 10, has recovered from leukemia, is part of a parents group that lobbied Reid for the money. Braccini said the research isn’t “just about our kids, it’s about your kids and their kids.”

Dr. Mark Witten, a toxicologist at the University of Arizona, has been researching the Fallon cluster and a similar outbreak in Sierra Vista, Ariz., since 2002.

On Friday, he presented preliminary findings of a study of mice that were given tungsten in water. He said the tungsten concentration in the water was a median amount between the concentrations found in Fallon and Sierra Vista.

The study involved older male mice who were exposed to tungsten and were then supposed to mate and have offspring. The “pup” mice were then examined for signs of genetic damage that might be linked to cancers. The study is based on the fact that the fathers of Fallon leukemia patients were older than average fathers when they had the children who developed leukemia.

But the male mice failed to get the female mice pregnant.

“What we found there were damaged testicular cells in the group of male mice that was fed the tungsten-only water,” he said.

Dr. Paul Sheppard, an Arizona tree-ring scientist and Witten’s research partner, showed in previous studies that both Fallon and Sierra Vista have unusually high amounts of tungsten in their environments. High levels of the metal were found in tree-ring, air and water samples.

On Friday, Sheppard said his most recent study showed high levels of tungsten, as compared to other metals, on tree leaves in Fallon. The samples were collected from 95 trees, he said.

Witten and Sheppard said their research can’t be used to link tungsten to leukemia.

“You need biomedical research to look at that,” Sheppard said.

By Alexis Tarrazi
Senior Reporter

LYNDHURST (Oct. 1, 2008, 11:30 a.m.) — As the personal crusade of Lorraine Colabella — a former Lyndhurst resident diagnosed with multiple myeloma — gains national attention, more concerns and questions continue to arise over the state’s recent cancer study in the area. In an effort to address the anxiety, the Lyndhurst Health Department recently asked a state agency to conduct another in-depth study of the area.

The results from this study find that multiple myeloma and all cancers are “not statistically significantly elevated” in Lyndhurst, according to a press release.

However, despite the results, Floyd Sands, director of field operations for the National Disease Cluster Alliance (a nonprofit that has recently joined Colabella’s crusade), has his doubts.

“No state cancer registry has ever identified a cancer cluster as that cluster was ongoing … never,” Sands wrote in an e-mail. “Cancer clusters are most often identified and exposed by the people experiencing them.”

The study originated after Health Administrator Joyce Jacobson, under the direction of Mayor Richard DiLascio, contacted the state Department of Health and Senior Services requesting an in-depth analysis — specifically, a standardized incidence ratio (SIR) — to be performed by the state Cancer Epidemiology Services.

“Multiple myeloma is not disproportionately affecting younger people in Lyndhurst, as has been questioned,” according to Dr. Christina Tan, acting state epidemiologist. “Only 19 percent of Lyndhurst residents diagnosed with multiple myeloma (1990-2005) were under the age of 65, compared to the American Cancer Society statistic stating that 34 percent of multiple myeloma cases are diagnosed under the age of 65.”

Using information from the New Jersey State Cancer Registry, the study looked at current and former residents who have been diagnosed.

However, this data would seemingly leave out Colabella’s case, as she was diagnosed in South Carolina.

Sands still has his doubts.

“ ‘Statistical significance’ is a device which is often used to muddy otherwise clear waters in the discussion of disease-impacted communities,” Sands wrote. “The definition of SIR is not rooted in science or mathematics; its use is arbitrary and capricious and amounts to nothing more than a ‘plug’ number.  SIR is often employed as a device by which to devolve the discussion from one of human suffering and death to one of statistics. The Lyndhurst discussion is not one about statistics; it is one about the human condition there.”
The future

Jacobson stated in the release that the health department is working with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the NJDHSS Hazardous Site Health Evaluation Program to answer questions about environmental concerns related to the former site of Penick Corp., a manufacturer of pharmaceuticals, botanical extracts and pesticides, that used to be located on New York Avenue in the 1940s.

“They are reviewing data, will speak with the public and will provide a written report with recommendations,” Jacobson stated.
Colabella’s study

Colabella — diagnosed with multiple myeloma five years ago — began her crusade after posting a brief announcement in The Leader and receiving hundreds of responses.

Jacobson subsequently had the state CES conduct a study, and the results indicated the cancer rate in Lyndhurst is comparable to that of similar surrounding municipalities.

However, Colabella pushed forward and gained the attention of the NDCA and cancer cluster activist Erin Brockovich.

For any residents in the surrounding area who know of someone who has, or has had multiple myeloma, a rare cancer or any type of cancer, Colabella is asking them to contact lcolabella@gmail.com or write to PO Box 166, Marlton, NJ 08053. She asks respondents to include the year of diagnosis, age, gender and location.