So Hatfield and Scarola took their test results to the media. People said stuff like The Dunsfords are gold diggers, and they used their sons tumor as an excuse to go after a big company and get dollars, Dunsford remembers. You most likely made your way to this site because you are aware of the Cancer Study that was conducted in our area by the Florida Department of Health (not us - we in no way conducted the study). We expect to have peace at home, and if we have 30,000 to 50,000 people that cant sleep at night, this is a problem.. Pratt & Whitney designs and manufactures engines for airplanes, rockets and even the space shuttle. Palm Beach County families are finally getting their time in court after years of concerns over a spike in cancer cases in and around The Acreage. Cancer cluster frightens Palm Beach County community (function(){var k='2354831680',d=document,l=d.location,c=d.cookie;function f(n){if(c){var i=c.indexOf(n+'=');if(i>-1){var j=c.indexOf(';',i);return escape(c.substring(i+n.length+1,j<0?c.length:j))}}}var x=f('__utmx'),xx=f('__utmxx'),h=l.hash; The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) define a cancer cluster as a greater-than-expected number of cancer cases that occurs within a group of people in a defined geographic area over a specific period of time. But the effect of confirming The Acreage as a cancer cluster was immediate. On another, two of her children, then toddlers, were shot with a paintball gun while they played in her backyard. Instead, the Palm Beach County Health Department told Hatfield to direct further contacts to its lawyer. Nearly 10 years after it was filed, Acreage cancer cluster lawsuit headed to trial this month The plaintiffs allege Pratt & Whitney dumped chemicals that caused brain But afterward, the gap widened to 77%, he said. source of local news and culture, Deirdra Funcheon In 1979, just one year after the Acreage Homeowners Association formed and began constructing a system of canals to make the area habitable, 2,000 gallons of trichloroethylene (TCE), a carcinogenic solvent, leaked into the groundwater and surface water on Pratt & Whitneys campus, as the company later admitted. The Dunsfords created all this fear, resident Michelle James told The Palm Beach Post. The deal is being financed with some $4.4 million in public incentives, including $3.4 million from the state and $1 million from Palm Beach County. In Pratt & Whitneys case, no fancy PR was necessary: its product is already understood to be not just airplane and rocket engines but national security itself. The anticipated three-week trial got off to a blustery start. WebMara And Acreage Cancer Cluster Map. "We're disappointed with the outcome," Mara Hatfield, an attorney with Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, PA said. State workers this week are taking soil samples in the Acreage, digging soil, digging for answers to what's causing the pediatric cancer cluster. Acreage Cancer Cluster But Hatfields radiation theory also involves the operations of another, far larger company: Pratt & Whitney, one of the big three airplane-engine manufacturers in the world, whose local industrial site was separated from the homes of the sick children in the Acreage by a swampy preserve. Those radionuclides that have been detected in the Acreage at above natural background rates but may be termed naturally occurring include Uranium-234, Uranium-235 Uranium-236, and elevated levels of the decay products of Thorium, particularly Lead-214 and Bismuth-214 and Actinium-228. That declaration came as a relief to some Acreage residents, since it confirmed what many had long suspected. There are other cancer clusters that occur without any obvious source of Her mother, Becky Samarripa, did it for her, and then drove Hannah to school and waited outside, knowing shed be able to put in only a brief appearance. Hatfield, who had grown up in the area and had young children of her own, was familiar with the rumors of pollution and pesticides in the Acreage and throughout South Florida. We know youre fearful of what these results mean, said Sharon Watkins, an environmental epidemiologist with the Florida Department of Health. Typically, each year, one in 30,000 to 40,000 children in the United States is expected to develop a brain tumor; but the Acreage, with a population of 39,000, had four pediatric brain-tumor cases between 2005 and 2007. Among the first to urge officials to investigate reports of an unusually high incidence of pediatric cancers were Greg and Jennifer Dunsford, whose son Garrett, now 7, was treated for a benign brain tumor in 2008. While the jury found that Pratt & Whitney was not responsible for cancer that multiple residents contracted, the verdict said that the company "failed to exercise reasonable care in the use and disposal of radioactive materials" at the facility. WebThe Florida Department of Health has confirmed a pediatric brain cancer cluster in a rural community called The Acreage. Meanwhile, Pratt & Whitney enjoys close ties with regulators. All of our data is self-reported by residents. But on the other hand, I envy them every day of their lives. The loss of her daughter has only become harder over time. At the time, neither Jennifer Dunsford nor Becky Samarripa considered that her childs illness might be part of something larger. If you would like to print this map, you can use the print option off your web browser. Even the politicians in attendance were unhappy. In June of 2009, a local reporter got hold of one of the forms Dunsford was sending around and wrote a story about her efforts. We would also like those who are in need of medical assistance to let us know. Evidence suggests the incidence of such cancers may be especially elevated among children. For its part, Pratt & Whitney is staying, too. Many of the young families in the Acreage were drawn there by its relative lack of development. Tell us if its safe to drink the water, shouted one man in the audience. Seminole Ridge High is a big school, and its ample, stucco-walled auditorium can hold hundreds of people, as it does for the pep rallies before Hawks games. The lawsuit blames Palm Beach Aggregates, a mining company, and Pratt & Whitney, an aerospace and engines manufacturer, for radioactive waste that allegedly caused the cancers: 30. ", Jury rejects Acreage families lawsuit against Pratt & Whitney, Tornado that tore through Palm Beach Gardens had winds of at least 100 mph, Trees toppled, homes damaged, cars overturned in tornado, Tornado tosses boat from cove onto lawn in North Palm Beach, Unofficial Boca Bash to draw thousands of boaters Sunday, Fort Lauderdale Air Show delayed until afternoon because of bad weather, Verhaeghe scores in OT as Panthers eliminate Bruins from playoffs, Cleanup underway after tornado rips through North Palm Beach neighborhood, Butler, Heat start semifinals with 108-101 win over Knicks, National Weather Service upgrades tornado to EF2 with peak winds of 130 mph. Soon, Dunsford discovered that three other youngsters in the sprawling rural community in the western reaches of Palm Beach County had recently received similarly grim news. And being part of the defense industry carries weight not just in the court of public opinion, but also in a court of law. Sharon Lerner is a reporting fellow with Type Investigations covering environmental issues for The Intercept. The Cancer Cluster Divide The Acreage That night, she found herself wondering whether health officials would ever find out what had caused her daughters cancer or whether they would even try. I understand the fear and frustration. On Wednesday, 12 years But the details of the process arent public. Study Being Conducted in The Acreage Has Been Canceled. com/acreage 's://ssl':'://www')+'.google-analytics.com'+'/siteopt.js?v=1&utmxkey='+k+'&utmx='+(x?x:'')+'&utmxx='+(xx?xx:'')+'&utmxtime='+new Date().valueOf()+(h? This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Families argue Pratt & Whitney caused cancer cluster in South Florida, Pratt & Whitney's handling of contaminated soil key part of case. Brain Cancer Cases Shot Up in This Florida TownIs a Defense By May 2009, Jennifer Dunsford had developed a database documenting dozens of cancers in children and adults throughout the neighborhood. One, composed primarily of families of the children stricken with cancer, focused on the fact that the research had identified several contaminants above FDEP cleanup levels, including radium-226, benzene and a variety of other commonly occurring carcinogens. The plaintiffs were parents and families from The Acreage who claimed that Pratt & Whitney was to blame for the cancer cluster. Jet fuel, which was the suspected cause of another cancer cluster in Fallon, Nevada, may also have played a role at the Acreage. Its always with me were out to dinner or whatever, and you hear Tick, tock. The concept of tranquility is right in our founding documents, said state Rep. Joseph Abruzzo, D- Wellington. _gaq.push(['gwo._setAccount', 'UA-230305-28']); He was introduced to us as an engineer, Newfield says. He left out the fact that he was an engineer for Pratt & Whitney. While the frustrated participants resigned in protest, another member of the group, who had expressed doubts about environmental factors in the cluster, later received a nice surprise: a letter from the Florida Department of Health commending his efforts and offering help in finding funding for his projects. They interviewed dozens of people who were involved in Pratts cleanup efforts. Though health officials confirmed a cluster of pediatric brain cancers, the lawsuit alleges that adults have been affected too: "According to self-reported data from the community, the 2008-2010 incidence of brain tumors for the entire Acreage population is above 30. The results of radon testing appeared as strings of letters and numbers, and the soil-testing report was essentially a 500-page compendium of test values and chemical names. })(); We really need leadership out of Tallahassee, a person designated by the governor to take charge an action plan. According to The Palm Beach Post last week, U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth Ryskamp recently dismissed two separate lawsuits claiming aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney was responsible for a cluster of cancer-related illnesses affecting Acreage residents. Periodically, the belt would start beeping in the middle of the night. If tests prove that residents are at risk to cancers, then I would recommend that residents protect their families.. As they anxiously eyed the array of health officials lined up on the stage, the Acreages residents got the news that none of them wanted. She had also gotten together with the mothers of other sick children, including Tracy Newfield, Becky Samarripa and Kaye McCann, as well as a few concerned friends and relatives, to see how they might get to the bottom of what was going on in the Acreage. Though the FDEP says that Pratt & Whitney is in compliance, it also says there are still twenty-five hazardous-waste sites being remediated, and the cleanup which began in 1985 is today only 77 percent complete. The information reflected on this map has been voluntarily provided by persons from The Acreage. Last week the states Department of Environmental Protection began sampling ground water and well water from several Acreage homes. The evidence, she said, shows Pratts carelessness caused children to get sick and die. Based on the self-reported data the pediatric cancer cluster declared by the State for the years 2004-2008 would be expanded to a general brain cancer cluster from 2004-2010.". WebA cancer cluster is a statistical event, which may or may not have a cause other than chance. Florida will appeal to the federal government for help investigating the cancer cluster in The Acreage, Gov. fl.us/southeast/acreage/www.pbcgov. There are many factors that make it easy for a company to pollute with impunity. In fact, by current standards, conclusively blaming a chemical culprit for a cancer cluster is so difficult that only three of 428 cluster investigations conducted in the United States since 1990 have established a link between pollution and illness. (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material or NORM.) Submit & Share. Pratt & Whitney Named in First Lawsuit Filed Over The Acreage Cancer Cluster Some residents of The Acreage have filed a class action lawsuit against Pratt & Whitney. Playing outside was prohibited. That amount of dirt wouldnt be enough to provide fill for one house in the 60-square-mile community. Perhaps because of all these obstacles, in September 2011, Brockovichs firm withdrew from the Acreage case, leaving the local law firm of Searcy, Denney, Scarola, Barnhart & Shipley to represent the families of at least seven children and five adults who had developed tumors and brain cancer. When Stephanie Peskowitz and her husband Ira bought a home in The Acreage five years ago, they figured they had found a woodsy paradise large enough for their dreams. var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; As is the case of most cancer-clusters throughout the United States, no cause was ever found. Instead, most homeowners rely on private wells. Yet neither agency did so. While Jessica, now 20, is attending college, Tracy has been spearheading the creation of the Garden of Hope, a place in the Acreage where people can go to honor their loved ones who have had cancer. Lawsuit Linking Child Cancer to Aerospace Plant Hangs in the Hatfield and her colleagues at the law firm traced the radioactive contamination in the Acreage to two companies with operations in the area. Gallagher asked U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra to declare a mistrial, claiming Hatfield violated a court order by telling the jury about claims that Marra had declared off-limits. Families in this south Florida town point to two companies as the source of the contamination that caused their childrens disease. The teenagers mysterious decline continued on to limping, vomiting, incontinence and perhaps her most disturbing symptom occasional fits of barking laughter that sounded so strange and demonic, her father wondered whether she was on drugs. The study was requested in May of 2009. In the fall of 2004, the little girl often played in the grass of her yard with her two dogs. McCann knows that even if the puzzle of the Acreage cluster is finally solved, it wouldnt bring Jenna back. But if we do it to ourselves in the name of national security, in preparation for war, that seems to be sort of OK., Pratt & Whitney has not only identified itself with the countrys security but has enhanced its public image by embracing the fight against cancer and the cause of protecting the environment. And hes particularly prone to headaches. A Florida man who says Pratt & Whitney created a pollution and cancer cluster told the 11th Circ. (It did come up in the litigation, but the companys lawyers dismissed it as a red herring.). At least at first, the land to the south of that was uninhabited and, since much of it was underwater, largely uninhabitable. As they anxiously eyed the array of health officials lined up on the stage, the Acreages residents got the news that none of them wanted. Nearly 10 years after it was filed, Acreage cancer cluster lawsuit Lack of proof was cited as the reason for the dismissals. 2 killed, 4 wounded in Mississippi shooting; man arrested, 150 years later, Dixon bridge tragedy among nation's worst, Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy says he wants to 'shut down the FBI' and replace it with something that sounds a lot like the FBI, Sanders: Biden could win in a landslide. Kaye McCann says she doesnt miss Florida only Jenna, who is still buried there. And anybody with children is worried about that.. The company trumpeted the results of a ten-year investigation that found no statistically significant elevations in the overall cancer rates among the workforce throughout the state. _udn = "none"; Now 12, he has auditory processing problems, memory issues and dyslexia, which were all diagnosed after his cancer. The Dunsfords collected anecdotal data, demanded an investigation, and the word spread. But for the Peskowitz family, and thousands of others in this western Palm Beach County community, the joy of living miles away from the urban clutter and noise has been supplanted by something louder and more insistent fear. At some point you have to say, My credit is not worth it; were going,' said Stephanie Peskowitz, a founder of Voices of the Palm Beach Cancer Cluster, a citizens group. Pratt & Whitney had licenses to use at least a dozen radioactive substances, the average death rate from cancer among the companys employees had shot up from 13 per 100,000 workers to 122, This Week in Extremism: Far Right Extremism in 2023 and the January 6th Insurrection, Faulty Information About Immigrants Can Lead to Family Separation and Denied Asylum Claims, Hanfords Leaky Nuke Tanks and Sick Workers, A Never-Ending Saga. Thissite has been developed to help share information about a confirmed cancer cluster in The Acreage with those who live in or around The Acreage (which includes Loxahatchee, Unincorporated West Palm, and parts ofRoyal Palm Beach) in Florida. '&utmxhash='+escape(h.substr(1)):'')+'" type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8">')})(); While the Florida Health Department declared a pediatric cancer cluster in The Acreage, it never found what caused the high rate of childhood cancers. Instead, jurors will be asked whether Pratt is responsible for depressing property values in the community. Jen Dunsford, who created the Acreage Cancer Study website and had posted a picture of Garrett in the hospital with his head bandaged, was particularly savaged. She wants so desperately to remove her children from the possible harm there that she keeps a bag packed in her bedroom and thinks about leaving daily. Becky Samarripa felt the hostility, too. When Jenna was near death, she told her mother she wanted to take her caps to the hospital so the other kids could use them after she was gone.