Children Cancer Clusters in Alabama could be CCA playgrounds
Leslie Farley Pacey is attempting to research the causes of a children cancer clusters in Fairhope. Her daughter and several others in her playgroup have contracted leukemia. She has requested help from the State of Alabama and the state toxicologist Dr.Neil Sass. Frustrated with the State, she has brought in an outside investigation team.
After her 4-year-old daughter’s diagnosis in 2004, Lesley Pacey, compiled a list of dozens of people that she knew of with leukemia, lymphoma, neuroblastoma, brain cancer, ALS and muscular dystrophy. Several of the children on the list were playmates of her daughter’s.
She first asked state health officials for help in 2005, but said little happened at the time, although a town meeting was held. During that meeting, state toxicologist Dr. Neil Sass said he would conduct an investigation, including issuing questionnaires to the families involved. But Pacey and others at the 2005 meeting said there was no follow-up and no questionnaire.
“The state kind of dropped it after the meeting. They quit calling me back,” Pacey said Wednesday.
*The families of the Marrietta Johnson School of Organic Education in Fairhope also experienced the same treatment from Dr. Sass in 2004 after he promised the parents a study of thier children who had been exposed for months to inorganic arsenic dust and smoke in the woodshop class when cca treated wood was used in many shop projects.These children were experiencing symptoms. Sass represented himself as an expert to calm the parents’ fears, when in reality his only experience had been in a two hour empirical discussion involving chromium-copper-inorganic asenate treated wood in which he sided with the Pressurre Treated Wood industry even though the wood was removed from the market by the United States Environmental Protection Agency because it was feared that incidental contact would greatly elevate the risk of many types of cancers in children .The Environmental Working Group accussed Sass of “playing someone elses game” and “these children could not be in a worse situation”.
Since then, Pacey, who serves as a Press-Register correspondent, has discovered several dozen additional cases of the various illnesses, including a large number affecting children from 18 months old to about 10. Pacey’s list includes 47 people with rare cancers, and 40 people with ALS, all living between Satsuma and Weeks Bay.
I would respectfully submit that while pollution in the water,air, seafood, and other foods containg high levels of heavy metals and pesticides all contribute to cancer clusters the main culprit regarding the children could be right under the hands and feet of the tiny children involved. The Fairhope K-1 center and City playground is made of Chromium-Copper-Arsenic treated wood which was taken off the market in 2003 as a result of the EPA, National Cancer Instute ,etc discovering that incidental exposure( hand to Mouth) greatly increased childrens’ cancer risks.Many cities and schools,realizing the severe danger these structures pose to children have removed these structures and prudently remediated the ground surronding them.
The Fairhope mayor and City council as well as the Alabama state Toxicologist have known about this problem since 2003 yet they did not mention it to Ms. Pacey or others at the Town Meeting.
DO YOU HAVE ANY CCA PLAYGROUNDS IN YOUR CHILDS REACH? ACT NOW remove them.
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