Chapter 663

Jan 17, 2024

Cancer Causing Chemicals

environmental contamination

A record number of cancer cases is expected to top 2 million this year in the U.S. and the trend is for increasingly younger people contracting it. The Florida DOH prepared a reader friendly report that indicates it has the second highest cancer rate among states. And it states that, " No studies done in the U.S. have ever proven that a chemical in the air, water or soil in a community was responsible for a cancer cluster."

To prove there is a link between toxic chemical exposure and cancer is very very difficult. You can trust your instincts to avoid certain associations but a definitive cause and effect conclusion is unlikely. I worked on Niagara River Toxics  program and Love Canal. It sounded a national alarm but the NYSDOH never proclaimed there was excessive chemical contamination there nor excessive cancer clusters. The following are just a few potential areas to keep in mind.

There has been concern over numerous cancer cases involving Bradenton, Florida Bayshore High School students who graduated from 1980-1999. CBS 2018 video. Some studies were conducted starting in 2016. The Manatee Health Department has not found evidence of a cancer cluster WFLA 2021 video  nor has the Florida Department of Environmental Protection found excessive chemical contamination there.  Yet, locals are not convinced. ABC 2018 video, 40 yr old with ovarian then uterine cancer & young healthy chef with three cancers.

The old Bayshore highschool was apparently torn down in 1999, the water wells capped and a new high school rebuilt on the same site. It sits right adjacent to the Detwiler's Farm Market.

The Riverside Products industrial facility was located about a mile north of the Bayshore area in question. It went out of business also before the turn of the century. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection sent notice to the new owners of the property (Teak Cockpit Solutions) that contamination assessment and remediation would be necessary. Remediation, however, has apparently not occurred. A geologist indicated that contamination likely would taint the groundwater aquifer that migrates south and westward toward Bayshore and the bay.

Bayshore High School, Bradenton, FL Concerned Alumni and Friends Facebook page continues their struggle to find answers.

A Youtube search for Bayshore Cancer Clusters will result in numerous video links to personal stories.

Detwilers Farm has an enthusiastic following and seemingly healthy products. Strawberries are among the dirty dozen fruits, but so tempting and delicious. They are supplied by a variety of sources. One is Duda Farms in Oviedo, FL. 

The Orlando Sentinel (video link) ran a well documented four part series on the contamination of 1,4 Dioxane of the Floridian Aquifer drinking water source in the Oviedo area. The chemical is believed to cause liver and kidney cancer. Duda Farm Fresh Foods is around 10 miles SE of the huge defunct Siemens Manufacturing facility . Orlando Sentinel newspaper link

The Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico below Louisiana and the sporatic oil well pollution creates havoc in the Gulf that can result in red tide and  blue green algae problems thoroughout the Gulf. The Mississippi drainage of contaminants results in thousands of square miles impacted. This zone of no oxygen kills animals and causes widespread problems.

Gypsum mining operations can have major impacts on quality of life as well.

There is no end to the potential hazzards faced here and all around the country as well. Eating right and exercising is the correct thing to do, but why are there Too Many Vegans Getting Cancer? Why so many younger people getting cancer?