14 Sandusky Co. sites to be tested in cancer study
1/10/2012The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency this year plans to do testing at 14 sites in eastern Sandusky County -- including Whirlpool Corp.'s factory in Clyde and multiple dumps -- to investigate a cluster of child-cancer cases.
EPA personnel and contractors will collect soil, air, and water samples. Once an investigation is done, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson plans to go to Clyde to discuss results.
The initial investigation will focus on 14 sites identified by Ohio state agencies in a 2009 study. Among other sites to be tested is the 28-acre Clyde Dump.
The EPA also will reexamine environmental data previously collected in the area. The Ohio Department of Health and Ohio EPA have studied the area for years but have been unable to identify the cancer cluster's cause.
The EPA has a hot line at 855-838-1304 for residents to call with information about potentially contaminated sites or concerns about waste disposal practices in eastern Sandusky County. All calls will be confidential.
Since 1996, about 35 children in a 12-mile-wide circle have been diagnosed with brain and central nervous system tumors, lymphoma, leukemia, and other forms of cancer, according to studies.