Legal News for Florida Personal Injury Attorneys. Brain tumor cluster in the Acreage fuels investigations and testing for radioactive gases.
Epidemiology study conducted after 12 children suffered brain tumors in Loxahatchee, Fl.
Loxahatchee, FL—The Florida Department of Health (FDOH) continue to conduct investigations and environmental tests as a means of determining what may have caused a dozen Acreage children to be diagnosed with brain tumors from 1993 to 2008. These homes will be tested for radon, a deadly radioactive gas, which was a factor allegedly shared by these residents of the Acreage, the Sun-Sentinel reports.
Though the homes will be screened for the radioactive gas, health department officials are not quick to jump to any conclusions on what the source of these cancer outbreaks may be. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) http://www.epa.gov defined radon as a “colorless, odorless, radioactive gas… released from rock or soil, seeps into homes through foundation cracks, and can reach harmful levels if trapped indoors”. Environmental officials in the state of Florida reportedly tested 50 random Acreage homes and discovered that some of the residencies demonstrated elevated levels of radium, which produces radon, and other alleged radioactive substances.
Brain tumors were noted for being the second leading cause of cancer-related fatalities among children under 20, according to information provided by the American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA). It is also reported that in the Acreage there are 46 adults and 18 children with brain tumors, based on data collected through TheAcreageCancerStudy.com. Zip codes 33470, 33412, and 33411 are included in the epidemiology study conducted by the FDOH. Investigations continue to progress.
Legal News Reporter: Sandra Quinlan- Legal News for Florida Personal Injury Lawyers.
