EPA agrees to investigate cancer cluster in West Salem
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WEST SALEM, Ore. – The Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to investigate after five cases of a rare bone cancer were diagnosed in a two-square mile area here.
Parents and neighbors concerned about the cancer cluster got their first chance to hear from the EPA Tuesday.
But the EPA has not agreed to any testing for environmental contaminants – at least not yet. The testing is what parents want.
The osteosarcoma cases have hit students attending Walker Middle school and West Salem High School. The EPA has committed to assessing those two schools, as well as Orchard Heights City Park and a nearby ball field.
But EPA employees say they still need to find reason to be suspicious of a cancer cluster before they commit to testing.
Health officials told about 65 people gathered Tuesday afternoon that the five cases of osteosarcoma do not constitute a statistically higher rate of cancer for the area.
Parents say they understand EPA staff doesn’t want to promise more than they can deliver, but the families are focused on finding out why five young people have been hit by osteosarcoma.
"On one hand, I'm 100 percent behind everything, but on the other hand I'm a little skeptical about how far they're going to actually go," said Craig Prosser, whose son was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. "I'm hoping they can find answers for the families and the community. That's my goal for this whole thing. We just want to make sure not one more kid gets sick because of something that might be out there."
So while the families wait for the testing, the EPA says it typically takes it up to six months to conduct a preliminary assessment but it is trying to expedite that.
EPA officials are also worried about the impact that sequestration cuts could have on their efforts in West Salem.
The EPA is in the pocket of every big money commercial entity and thats probably why they need time to analyze things, so they can check with BIG BZ first to see if they might have a conflict of interest or step on the wrong toes in protecting average citizens. OBAMA SHOULD REVAMP EPA AND KEEP IT FROM SLIPPING INTO BIG BZ POCKETS1111
Some good but seems like under Obama it has been run by eco terrorist not honest people trying to keep us safe.
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@feral @FreedomRocks Ya ya anything we say about the great half black savior has to be racist it can't just be because he is a lying incompetent schmuck...If you made that comment when I slammed Bush I might think our not a racist hypocrite either but not likely you would have...
I wouldn't hold my breath, after all the EPA said the air at ground zero was safe to breath right after 9/11 when in reality it was a toxic soup. The EPA knew it but said it was safe so they wouldn't scare people!
The Republicans wanted to close the E.P.A. down, needed to get rid of all that pesky regulation, Facist pieces O.S.
@ghetto baby Yeah without the EPA what would we do
http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500202_162-1985804.html
@Ghetto Baby What that can't be...not republicans....
EPA director Anne M. Gorsuch resigned under fire in 1983 during a republican scandal over mismanagement of a $1.6 billion program to clean up hazardous waste dumps. Gorsuch based her administration of the EPA on the New Federalismapproach of downsizing federal agencies by delegating their functions and services to the individual states. Like in Oregon
 She believed that the EPA was over-regulating business and that the agency was too large and not cost-effective. During her 22 months as agency head, she cut the budget of the EPA by 42%, reduced the number of cases filed against polluters, relaxed Clean Air Act regulations, and facilitated the spraying of restricted-use pesticides. She cut the total number of agency employees, to one third and hired staff from the industries they were supposed to be regulating. Environmentalists contended that her policies were designed to placate polluters, and accused her of trying to dismantle the Agency. Gee would a republican DO that???
@uknow2Â Â You just made that up, didn't you?Â
Don't get upset with me, please; I remember when all of what you've written happened.  The saddest part is . . . . it's all true!