Concerns are Mounting Over A Possible Cancer Cluster. Concerns are mounting over a possible “cancer cluster” in a Florida community known as The Acreage. According to a report in The Palm Beach Post, several children and adults in the community have developed brain tumors.
The brain tumor cases included a 5-year-old and a 16-year-old who live within two miles of each other. Within a year of their diagnoses, a 14 year old girl who lives three miles from those children was also found to have a brain tumor, The Palm Beach Post said. And several adults within the small area also had brain tumors, including a man who died in May 2005, according to the report.
One of the mothers of the afflicted children became alarmed at what was happening in The Acreage, and asked the Florida Department of Health to start an investigation into whether the cases constituted a cancer cluster.
The State Begun Gathering Basic Information on Residents
According to The Palm Beach Post, the state has begun gathering basic information on residents in the area who have had brain cancer. An investigation will be launched if cancer rates in The Acreage turn out to be higher than what is normal.
The Palm Beach Post report points out that brain tumors are the second most common type of cancer in children. According to the American Cancer Society, brain and nervous system cancers account for about 20 percent of childhood cancers. Nationwide, about 2,000 children under 16 are diagnosed with a brain tumor nationwide, according to the Mayo Clinic.
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