Cancers

Contaminants of Concern

Total Cancer Cases

ST. LOUIS BABY TOOTH SURVEY

Mark Weisskopf, an epidemiology professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and his team found 4,209 tooth donors from the STLBT Survey.

Participants born between 1945 and 1966 donated their baby teeth for science starting in 1958 and joined the new experiment between 2021 and 2024.
Initally planned to study cognitive decline but pivoted to studying cancer risks and proximity to the creek when participants repeatedly mentioned Coldwater Creek.
Almost 1/4 of these participants reported having cancer.
Those who lived within 1 km of the creek as children were 44% more likely to have cancer than those living more thank 20 km away.
Those who lived within one km of the creek were 85% more likely to have radiosensitive cancers.

A young donor receives a button from Dr. Louise Reiss after giving his baby teeth to the strontium research project in St. Louis, Missouri on Jan. 15, 1962. The button announces: I Gave My Tooth to Science. Dr. Reiss, an internist, was the first director of the baby tooth survey.

Brain Cancer AMY

In the United States, brain and nervous system tumors affect about 30 adults out of 100,000. Brain tumors are dangerous as they can put pressure on the healthy parts of the brain or spread into those areas. Some brain tumors can also be cancerous or become cancerous. They cause problems such as blocking the flow of fluid around the brain which can cause an increase in pressure inside the skull. Some of these tumors can spread through the spinal fluid to other areas of the brain or spine.

Brain Tumor vs. Brain Cancer

All brain cancers are tumors, but not all brain tumors are cancerous.

Benign brain tumors grow slowly, have distinct borders and very rarely spread. They can still be dangerous as they compress parts of the brain, causing dysfunction. However, if it is located in a vital area of the brain, it can be life-threatening.
Malignant brain tumors are cancerous. They grow rapidly and invade surrounding health brain structures. Brain cancer can be life-threatening due to the changes it causes to the vital structures of the brain.

Primary vs. Metastatic Brain Tumors

Primary brain tumors are tumors that originate in the brain. These very rarely break away and spread to other parts of the brain and spinal cord. More commonly, tumors spread to the brain from other parts of the body.
Metastatic brain tumors (secondary brain tumors), are malignant tumors that originate from cancer elsewhere in the body and then metastasize to the brain. These are about four more times common than primary brain tumors. They grow rapidly, crowding or invading nearby brain tissue.
Common cancers that spread to the brain:
- Breast cancer
- Colon cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Lung cancer
- Skin cancer (melanoma)

Brain Tumor Symptoms:

headaches
Seizures or convulsions
Difficulty thinking, speaking, or finding works
Personality or behavior changes
Weakness, numbness, or paralysis in one part or one side of the body
Loss of balance, dizziness, or unsteadiness
Loss of hearing
Vision changes
Confusion and disorientation
Memory loss

Brain Tumors in Children

Brain tumors are the most common solid tumor in children and adolescents affecting about 5,000 children in the U.S per year.

Causes and Risk Factors

Doctors are unsure while some cells begin to form into tumor cells. It may be due to a person's genes or environment, or both.
Causes and Risk Factors:
- Cancers that spread from other parts of the body.
- Certain genetic conditions
- Exposure to some forms of radiation

USCS Data VisualizationsUnited States Cancer Statistics Data Visualizations

Symptoms

Sores
- Bleeding/Oozing
Sunken Spots
Skin Bumps
- Pearly/Waxy
- Brown, Red, and/or Scaly

Treatment Options

Mohs surgery
Excision
Electrosurgery
Topical creams
Radiation therapy
Chemotherapy
Cryosurgery

Basal Cell Cancer Doanh

Introduction

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common skin cancer. It's seen in nearly 1 in 5 Americans. Mutated basal cells grow out of control and appear on the skin’s surface. It is not usually fatal. However, it can be very destructive with delayed or inadequate treatment.

Basal Cell Cancer and Cold Water Creek

"Those living more than 20 kilometers away from the creek had a 24% risk of any type of cancer." (Brownstein)
Those living within one kilometer of Cold Water Creek had a 41% to 85% increased chance of developing basal cell cancer.
- - (The average person has a 20% chance.)

Image of Moh's Surgery

Thyroid Cancer Kendall

Thyroid cancer occurs when cells in the thyroid gland develop changes in their DNA, these changes then tell the cell to grow and multiply rapidly. It is one of the most common endocrine cancers and often has a good prognosis when detected in the early stages.

Symptoms:
1. lump or swelling of the neck
2. hoarseness or change in voice
3. difficulty swallowing or breathing
4. neck or throat pain
Treatments:

surgery
radiation therapy
thyroid hormone therapy
radioactive iodine
chemotherapy

Thyroid cancer is one of the most treatable cancers, and with detection in early stages, the prognosis for patients is optimistic

This map charts the trends of thyroid cancer and conditions within the Coldwater Creek

The researchers estimated that those living more than 20 kilometers away from the creek had a 24% increased risk of any cancer.
Compared to this group, among those who lived less than one kilometer away from the creek, the risk of developing thyroid cancer was 85% higher

“Our research indicates that the communities around North St. Louis appear to have had excess cancer from exposure to the contaminated Coldwater Creek" Marc Weisskopf, Cecil K. and Philip Drinker Professor of Environmental Epidemiology and Physiology

Researchers conducting the St. Louis Baby Tooth Survey found that people living more than 20 kilometers from the creek had a 24% chance of developing any type of cancer. In comparison, those living within one kilometer of the creek faced an 85% higher risk of developing radiosensitive cancers such as leukemia.

Leukemia Nicole

Leukemia is a type of cancer that starts in the bone marrow, where blood cells are made. It causes the body to produce abnormal white blood cells that don’t work properly and crowd out healthy blood cells.

Symptoms:
- fatigue
- fever
- anemia
- bone/joint pain
- bruising easily

Common treatments often include a combination of the following:
- chemotherapy
- immunotherapy
- radiation therapy
- targeted therapy

Appendix Cancer Kenzie

Appendix cancer is a rare type of cancer that evolves from the appendix, typically affecting roughly 3,000 people per year. Although the direct cause is unknown, older age, family history of colon cancer, and carcinoid tumors can play a role in developing appendix cancer.

Appendix cancer itself is treatable and has a high survival rate of 97% for low-grade tumors but lowers to 30% when tumors have become more advanced.

Common symptoms:

abdominal pain
bloating
nausea & vomiting
weight fluctuations

In most cases, appendix cancer can be treated by removing the appendix (appendectomy). However, in severe cases, a hemicolectomy may be required along with chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Connection between appendix cancer and Coldwater Creek:

Because of how rare appendix cancer is, having dozens of cases of appendicular cancer cases in the Coldwater Creek popular raised attention. The ATSDR concluded that the incident could have an impact on the excessive number of cases, along with skin and/or breast cancer.

Above is a map of all reported cases of appendix cancer reported within the area of Coldwater Creek.

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