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Welcome to www.dante7.com. The personal web site of Dante Picciano and friends.
IN PENNSYLVANIA, BLACK IS GREEN!
Posted - October 5, 2007 Recently, a friend remarked that he was tired of everything being referred to as "green." We are in agreement. Let's look at our current state of green propaganda in Pennsylvania. Billboards along highways in Pennsylvania are proclaiming that coal is now clean and green and a renewable energy source www.thepittsburghchannel.com. One sign reads: Coal - Clean Green Energy. Anyone with common sense knows that coal is black and dirty and is a major contributor to our environmental problems. Coal is anything but green and anyone who believes that coal is the answer to our energy problems is misguided, at best. The billboards are part of a statewide advertising campaign by an organization known as Force and Doug Farnham is its president. Farnham owns a coal industry supply company that shares its office building with Consol Energy and with Force. Since 2005, Farnham has given Governor Ed Rendell $21,000 in political contributions and Governor Rendell has given Farnham's company a $1 million grant to develop technology to burn waste coal without emitting as much particulate matter into the atmosphere. Where can we get some of this easy money? As we previously reported, a recent article in the Pottsville Republican-Herald stated, "By 2010, a state requirement will make it necessary for ... electric utilities to purchase 9 percent of their power from renewable sources. Those sources for Pennsylvania will include ... cogeneration, waste coal, coal gasification... ." Where we went to school, coal was not a renewable energy source. This is nothing more than another government corporate welfare program for the coal and utility industries at the taxpayers' expense. From where do these dubious programs and requirements come? They come from the hands of our elected officials who are merely tools of industry, especially the polluters. The polluters write the laws and our elected officials have them enacted. The polluters get the tax subsidies or grants, e.g. $1 million, and the elected officials get campaign contributions, e.g. $21,000. The free market should be allowed to dictate practical solutions for our energy problems, not government subsidies for politically powerful campaign contributors. We are not opposed to the proper use of coal but we are opposed to industry and government propaganda referring to coal as clean and green. Coal companies and utilities can call coal "clean and green" all they want. All of their propaganda won't make black and dirty coal into a green and clean fuel. NEW INDUSTRIAL-STRENGTH FLY ASH
Posted - October 7, 2007 The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has done it again. This time they have approved the generation of a new industrial-strength fly ash that is guaranteed to contaminate your water and to give you cancer in less time than conventional fly ash. The DEP has issued a permit to pollute to Northampton Generating Company, located in the Borough of Northampton, Pennsylvania, which allows the burning of up to 23 tons of used tires per hour at this facility. That is right – the burning of up to 23 tons of used tires per hour! This facility is a plant that burns waste coal (culm) that is transported from the Wilkes-Barre area. The coal combustion waste or fly ash generated at the facility is subsequently transported back to the anthracite coal region for disposal of this toxic waste in abandoned coal mines under the guise of mine reclamation. It must be emphasized that burning tires release pyrolitic oils. These oils contain a variety of organic compounds and heavy metals. These typically include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, and styrene; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) like anthracene, naphthalene, and benzo(a) pyrene; and heavy metals including manganese, lead, and zinc. These toxic and carcinogenic chemicals, especially VOCs and PAHs, have been detected at high levels in the surface water at many tire fire sites across the nation. These chemicals have also been detected at lower levels in creek sediments after the oils entered into streams. Groundwater has also been adversely impacted at many tire fire sites. We are willing to bet that the DEP will not find it necessary to monitor emissions from the plant or the resulting fly ash for any of the toxic and carcinogenic compounds released or created by the high-temperature combustion of used tires with waste coal. The DEP will say that they haven't seen any problems with the process. Of course, if you don't look, you won't find anything. Millions of tons of the new industrial-strength fly ash will eventually be disposed of in unlined, unmonitored surface mining operations in the anthracite coal region and be referred to as mine reclamation where in reality it is disguised unregulated hazardous waste disposal. This practice, without the inclusion of burned tires, has already been shown to cause significant damage to the public health and the environment. DEP officials said burning up to 23 tons of tires per hour will not cause unsafe pollution. We guess DEP is saying that burning 23 tons of tires per hour will only cause safe pollution, whatever that is. This creation of a new industrial-strength fly ash is strong evidence that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection doesn't give a damn about the health and safety of the residents of Pennsylvania and is only concerned about protecting polluting industries that contribute heavily to the campaigns coffers of our elected representatives. COVER-UP OF POLYCYTHEMIA VERA STUDY CONTINUES
Posted - October 9, 2007 Polycythemia vera is a rare bone marrow cancer occurring with a frequency of between one in 100,000 and one in 200,000 people per year. In June 2004, the Carbon County Groundwater Guardians reported an unusual cluster of polycythemia vera cases in people living on Ben Titus Road, along the Still Creek Reservoir in Rush Township. Since then, there have been three studies in this area of cancer rates and polycythemia vera by government agencies. The Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH) conducted two of the studies and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), part of the federal Department of Health and Human Resources, conducted the other study. The two cancer studies by the PA DOH left the affected residents with little information of significance about the rates of cancer in the area or the cause of the polycythemia vera. The PA DOH issued reports on September 20, 2004 and January 18, 2006 and failed twice to detect an almost quadrupling of the incidence of polycythemia vera in this area. Vince Seaman, Ph.D., Research Toxicologist and Presidential Management Fellow headed the ATSDR study. A newspaper article dated June 15, 2007, reported that the ATSDR expected to find 25 cases of polycythemia vera in the study but actually found 97 cases or almost four times the expected number. The article was subsequently removed from the newspaper's web site but we have hard copies. If polycythemia vera occurred with a frequency of one in 200,000 people per year, the 97 cases would represent an almost eight-fold increase of this rare cancer in this area! In the article, Dr. Seaman said that the ATSDR would likely hold a public meeting in early August to release its findings. We are still waiting for the meeting. Next, we heard that the ATSDR would report on 72 cases, rather than the 97 cases, of polycythemia vera detected. The numbers (actually affected people) are being whittled away. Then, we were told that the ATSDR and the PA DOH would release the results of the polycythemia vera study on September 29, 2007 at Genetti's Best Western Lodge in Hazleton. That meeting was subsequently canceled. On September 27, 2007, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter sent a letter to the ATSDR urging the agency to release the results of the polycythemia vera study and to inform the local community of the findings. That same day, we filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the ATSDR for release of the polycythemia vera study. On October 4, 2007, we received an acknowledgement from the ATSDR that it had received our FOIA request and were processing it. By law, the ATSDR has 20 business days from receipt of the request to respond to it. We then heard that the heads of the PA DOH and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) recently met in State College to discuss ways to dismiss the results of the polycythemia vera study. Our sources tell us that the PA DOH and the PA DEP will try to blame exposure to radon gas in this area as the cause for the increase in the number of cases of polycythemia vera. Since radon is a naturally occurring gas, industry cannot be blamed for the problem. However, radon exposure will not fly as an out for the PA DOH or the PA DEP. We have enough data that strongly indicates that radon gas is not a significant factor for the cause of the increase in polycythemia vera. We will wait until the PA DOH and the PA DEP come out with their ridiculous radon theory before we release our information. The latest step in the cover-up occurred last week. We have been informed that Dr. Vince Seaman was suddenly transferred to Mozambique, Africa to work on another project. That is right. Dr. Seaman was sent to Africa over the weekend for a one-year assignment. The head researcher will not be available for questions or recommendations when the filtered and sanitized results are reported to the public.
Finally, we are hearing that there are two additional clusters of polycythemia vera cases in western Pennsylvania and that the Pennsylvania Department of Health is doing everything with its power to conceal the results from the public. If anyone knows anything about these additional clusters thought to be in Cambria and Potter counties, please let us know. Apparently, the Pennsylvania Department of Health doesn't care about the health of the people in Pennsylvania. It is only concerned about protecting the dumping industries in Pennsylvania. THE WORLD IS WATCHING
Posted - October 10, 2007 The world is watching how the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH) continue to cover-up the results of the polycythemia vera study in Carbon, Luzerne and Schuylkill counties. We have received support from as far away as Italy. Here is part of a message from Dr. Raoul Mantini: Dear Dante,
I've just forwarded your message to many Italian bloggers and newpapers. The same is happening here, with Minister Bersani (Economic Development) who asked Minister Mastella (Justice) and Turco (Health) to punish the Order of Doctors from Emilia Romagna Region as they took a firm position against trash-burning plants. See http://www.beppegrillo.it for a more detailed description of this similar environmental problem with similar government failure. Below is a copy of a letter from Jill McElheney of Winterville, Georgia to Drs. Frumkin and Cibulas. Dr. Frumkin is the Director of the ATSDR and Dr. Cibulas is the Director of its Division of Health Assessment and Consultation. Please note that Jill McElheney was denied the email address for Dr. Calvin Johnson, the Seceretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Apparently, the PA DOH, a public agency charged with the protection of the public health, doesn't want to be bothered with contact with the public. Dear Drs. Frumkin & Cibulas:
I am writing to you both on behalf of the sick and suffering citizens of Pennsylvania whom define a polycythemia vera cluster. These residents living on Ben Titus Road, along the Still Creek Reservoir in Rush Township, deserve timely, honest, and accurate reporting of their situation. As an environmental health advocate that monitors communities around the country with emerging disease clusters, the treatment of the residents by PA DOH, PA DEP, and ATSDR up to this point has been disrespectful and unprofessional. Any findings should be promptly shared with the community. Significant data should not be downplayed or suppressed. Facts pointing to an industrial source(s) of causation are to be explored as it is your mandated job to investigate known exposure to hazardous waste. As ATSDR has long avoided dealing with the petroleum industry which played a key role in my son's bone marrow cancer at age 4, please do not put these people through your dog and pony show just to have them become another disappointed place on the long list of communities ATSDR has failed. Learn from your great mistakes made at places like Fallon, NV, and let truth be the conclusion, not half-truths, or cover-ups, or turn the other way to avoid legal entanglements. When does ATSDR plan to report to the citizens on their findings? Please let me know whom is to replace Dr. Seaman now that he has been reassigned to Africa. I would like to stress that the community is wise to their exposures and what has taken place in their lives. Listen to and respect knowledgeable residents like Dr. Dante Picciano. Come to the rescue of the harmed rather than defend those doing the harm. In closing, let me say I spoke with and asked the PA DOH for Dr. Calvin Johnson's e-mail address to copy him on this letter. That information was intentionally withheld from me. That treatment speaks volumes in itself about accessibility to the guardians of health in the state of Pennsylvania. Thanks, MICAH's Mission CAMPAIGNING WITH TAXPAYERS' MONEY
Posted - October 12, 2007 Recently, I received a glossy brochure in the mail from State Representative David Argall. The brochure proclaimed a "Free Senior Expo" on Friday, October 19th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the New Ringgold Fire Company. A closer look revealed that, "Rep. Dave Argall is co-hosting the Senior Expo with... Schuylkill County Commissioner Bob Carl." This brochure appears to be part of Rep. Argall's constituent mailing and it is wrong to use taxpayers' money to promote a political campaign. Don't get me wrong, I do not object to Dave Argall promoting the candidacy of Bob Carl but I strenuously object to Dave Argall doing it with our tax money. Personally, I am supporting the write-in candidacy of John Schickram for Schuylkill County Commissioner but I am doing it with my own money, not with the taxpayers' money. This brochure is plain and simple a way for Dave Argall to promote the candidacy of Bob Carl for Schuylkill County Commissioner and I think that is wrong. Dave Argall may say that he is not using the brochure to campaign for Bob Carl but anyone who bothers to examine the brochure will see that it is thinly disguised campaign literature. The brochure has a picture of a smiling Dave Argall sitting at a table with a smiling Bob Carl and states "In addition to the Senior Expo, a town hall meeting will be held at 11 a.m. where Rep. Argall and Commissioner Carl will provide a brief update and field questions from constituents." The Senior Expo is scheduled for October 19th, just 17 days before Election Day! What Dave Argall and Bob Carl are doing is wrong and they know it is wrong. They must think that we are too dumb to figure out that they are using our tax dollars to campaign for office. Mr. Argall may ague that what he is doing is not political campaigning but only a fool would go along with his reasoning. Mr. Argall gave himself a black eye with his constituents when he helped design and pass the notorious pay raise in the early morning hours of July 7, 2005. What he is doing with this brochure is every bit as self-serving as the illegal pay raise that he gave himself. Personally, I am totally disappointed with the actions of Mr. Argall and will let my feelings be known the next time that he runs for office. Right now, I am asking you to attend the Senior Expo on October 19th and let Rep. Argall and Commissioner Carl know that you do not appreciate them using our tax money for Bob Carl's political campaign. We didn't attain "senior status" by permitting ourselves to be taken in by a couple of career politicians, did we? Let's vote some honesty back into our local government. RESPONSE TO LETTER OF DEP SECRETARY
Posted - October 16, 2007 On September 18, 2007, the Clean Air Task Force and EarthJustce held a press conference and released a 2009-page report showing that the dumping of coal ash into mines in Pennsylvania is contaminating groundwaters and surface waters in ten of fifteen mines studied www.tnonline.com. On October 5, 2007, Kathleen A. McGinty, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, published her response to the coal ash report in the Pottsville Republican & Herald newspaper www.republicanherald.com. That same day, Jeff Stant, one of the co-authors of the coal ash report, submitted a letter to the editor in response to Secretary McGinty's letter. To date, the Pottsville Republican & Herald has failed to publish Jeff Stant's letter. It appears that the newspaper has a pro-dumping agenda and being fair and balanced is not part of that agenda. Here is the letter of Jeff Stant that the Pottsville Republican & Herald refuses to publish: CONTAMINATION DATA IS NOT MISINTERPRETED To the Editor:
As a contributing author to the report about the minefilling of coal ash in Pennsylvania, I would like to respond to PADEP Secretary McGinty's October 5 letter to the Republican ↦ Herald. Contrary to McGinty's statement that this report was prepared by outsiders, one of its authors is Robert Gadinski, a retired PADEP hydrogeologist. Mr. Gadinski monitored minepools for 20 years and has never seen such high levels of lead as are now found in the minepools underneath the ash dump sites in the Ellengowan and BD Mines. Further, PADEP input was solicited on drafts of the report, and the report was written under the guidance of a distinguished Advisory Panel that included representatives from the Western Pennsylvania Watershed Program, Mountain Watershed Association, PennFuture, academic experts from Penn State, Washington and Jefferson College and West Virginia Water Research Institute, the Vice President of the Tamaqua Borough Council and a former Carbon County Commissioner. Secretary McGinty's assertion of "numerous cases where the group incorrectly used a single anomalous reading to declare a reclaimed mine site polluted" is untrue. She cannot point to a single incidence of this claim in the report. Furthermore all of the data is from PADEP monitoring reports. The report undertook an exhaustive, four year examination of PADEP's claim that coal ash does not pollute water in coal mines and found substantive evidence to the contrary. At ten of fifteen sites, monitoring data shows many more higher concentrations of lead, cadmium, arsenic, selenium, nickel, sulfate, manganese and other pollutants than occurred at these sites from mine drainage. While the evidence is strong, the report avoided stating that these data proved conclusively that ash is contaminating the water because the sites are not "carefully monitored" as McGinty claims. Large sites often have no upgradient monitoring. Some sites collect only a few baseline (before ash) water samples. Monitoring is too short, expiring long before the worst leaching of contaminants would be expected. When high ash contaminant levels are measured, increased monitoring does not occur, what landfills do to find sources of contamination. The federal government is developing regulations for minefilling because the National Research Council of the National Academies of Science determined such regulations are needed. The state program studied in greatest detail to make this recommendation was that of the PADEP. Similar to the NRC's study, our report finds that without adequate mandatory safeguards in regulations, PADEP's ash minefilling is replacing a problem from the past with a larger problem in the future. The report is at: www.catf.us. Jeff Stant, Director Posted - October 16, 2007 CORRECTION: In previous articles about the polycythemia vera study, we reported that Dr. Vince Seaman of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) was sent to Africa on a one-year assignment. We were incorrect. Dr. Seaman was sent to Africa on a planned 10-week assignment. Our original source provided us with inaccurate information. We apologize for the inaccuracy. UPDATE: We are happy to report that we now have visitors from 10 additional countries on our website: Australia, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, India, Italy, The Netherlands, and United Kingdom. SUPPORT RESIDENTS OF EAST BRUNSWICK TOWNSHIP
Posted - October 19, 2007 Now that the Attorney General has picked a fight with East Brunswick by filing a 38-page lawsuit and telling our residents that "we have no authority" to make decisions about our health, safety and welfare, we are asking for support from our fellow Pennsylvanian communities. here are "signs" that our local officials are crumbling under the Attorney General's pressure, despite their pledge to residents that they will UPHOLD and DEFEND the East Brunswick Sludge Ordinance. We need to assure them that fighting this injustice and the Attorney General in court, if that's what it takes, is the RIGHT thing to do. Fighting to preserve citizen's rights to make local decisions about our community is the RIGHT thing to do. Fighting to protect our families, children and future generations against the harms of sewage sludge is the RIGHT thing to do. Shielding our farmlands, rivers, mountains and environment from harm is the RIGHT thing to do. PLEASE ATTEND THE EAST BRUNSWICK TOWNSHIP MEETING ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2007 @ 7:30 at the EAST BRUNSWICK TOWNSHIP BUILDING to SUPPORT OUR RESIDENTS. We have distributed the following in form of a flyer to our residents. Please forward this message as you feel appropriate. Thank you, VOTE "NO" FOR RETENTION OF SUPREME COURT JUSTICE SAYLOR
Posted - October 23, 2007
On November 6th, Pennsylvanians will go to the polls and decide whether State Supreme Court Justice Thomas G. Saylor should be retained for another ten-year term. We are urging you to vote "no" on the retention of Justice Saylor for the following reasons: In 2005, Pennsylvania's seven Supreme Court justices charged taxpayers for more than $164,000 in travel, food, lodging and auto expenses, including $1,766 for picture framing for an office, $300 dinners, a conference in the Bahamas, $65 for alumni association dues and $3 for peanuts from a hotel gift shop. The uncapped expense account is in addition to their $170,000-plus salaries that rank the justices among the highest paid in the nation. That year, Justice Saylor received a salary of $171,800. In addition to this salary, Justice Saylor billed taxpayers for an additional $13,737 for expenses, including: 34 car washes ranging in price from $8.95 to $18.54; Charging taxpayers for car washes is unwarranted, said Barry Kauffman, Executive Director of Common Cause Pennsylvania. If the public provides him with a car, he said, "He ought to be able to pick up the car wash himself." Today, Justice Saylor is receiving a salary of $175,236. In addition, it has been reported that the justices are still charging taxpayers for luxury cars, expensive hotels and pricey meals. Furthermore, Justice Saylor was part of a 6-0 Supreme Court decision upholding the way the Legislature approved slot-machine parlors – a dead-of-night vote on a bill that received no detailed public scrutiny until after it passed. By saying that the casino bill was passed in a constitutional fashion opened the door for the Legislature to give itself the unlawful pay raise in the middle of the night. It is time to let Harrisburg know that we have had enough and want to put an end to this judicial aristocracy. One ten-year term is enough. Let's send Justice Saylor back to work in the real world and give someone else a chance to properly administer justice on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Vote "NO" on November 6th on the retention of State Supreme Court Justice Thomas G. Saylor for another ten-year term. POLYCYTHEMIA VERA: GOVERNMENT CONFIRMS THE OBVIOUS
Posted - October 25, 2007 On October 24, 2007, I attended a meeting on polycythemia vera held by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH). The meeting was such a failure that I felt compelled to write and let everyone know what really happened. First, here is some background. In June 2004, the Carbon County Groundwater Guardians uncovered an unusual cluster of patients with polycythemia vera living on Ben Titus Road along the Still Creek Reservoir in Rush Township. Polycythemia vera (PV) is a rare bone marrow cancer occurring with a frequency of between one in 100,000 and one in 200,000 people per year. The Carbon County Groundwater Guardians initially uncovered three and possibly four patients, including two in one household, among approximately one hundred or so people living in the area. It was obvious to us that there was a significant increase in the incidence of PV in this area. We then wanted to know what was the cause of this increase. More than three years and three studies by government scientists later, we are no closer to identifying the cause of the problem. In fact, it took the government scientists more than three years to confirm that there was a significant increase in the incidence of PV in the area! At the meeting, the ATSDR circulated a news release that stated, "ATSDR found no link between environmental factors and PV in this area." Technically, this statement is correct. However, it must be pointed out that the ATSDR scientists didn't look very hard for environmental factors. The ATSDR news release indicated that participants were only questioned about "their residence, employment, and lifestyle." Is there any wonder why the ATSDR was unable to find a link between environmental factors and PV in this area? In a similar bit of tomfoolery, Senator Arlen Specter stated in a letter to the Director of the ATSDR and to the Secretary of the PADOH, "I am heartened by the study's findings that there are no environmental or occupational causes for the disease…." Apparently, Senator Specter believes that the government scientists have proven a negative! The truth of the matter is that there are only two possible causes for the PV. It is either genetic or environmental. The scientific and medical communities acknowledge that PV is not an inherited disease. In other words, PV is not a genetic disorder. On the other hand, there is evidence that environmental factors cause or contribute to PV. A peer reviewed scientific article indicates that an excess risk of PV has been suggested in embalmers and funeral directors, as well as in persons exposed to benzene, petroleum refineries, and low doses of radiation (A. Tefferi, "Polycythemia Vera: A Comprehensive Review and Clinical Recommendations," Mayo Clin. Proc. 78:174-194, 2003.) The government scientists did not appear to have been aware of this article. I would also like to point out that the ATSDR and the PADOH failed to provide the public with a hard copy of their report. When questioned about the hard copy, the government officials indicated that one had not been prepared. That is right, they don't have a written copy of their report but they felt comfortable explaining their results to the public. In addition, a government scientist said the agency did not wish to overwhelm residents with data. Let us see the data. Let us know the possible basis for the government's conclusions. Without access to the data, it is difficult to thoroughly critique the government's allegations. We suspect that coal-fired plants are a significant part of the problem. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Toxic Release Inventory, the top polluters in Schuylkill County in 2005 (the most recent year for which data are available) were five coal-burning plants. Together, these five plants released 2,219,827 pounds of pollutants into the environment or 85.7 percent of all reported releases in Schuylkill County for 2005. The releases included arsenic, barium, chromium, dioxins, hydrochloric acid, hydrofluoric acid, lead, mercury and other chemicals that may cause cancer or linger in human tissues or the environment. If the ATSDR and the PADOH want to find the cause for the increase rate of PV in this area, the agencies should begin by looking at the most likely causes. These government agencies should protect the health and safety of the people of Pennsylvania and stop trying to protect the polluting industries. 131 CASES OF POLYCYTHEMIA VERA!
Posted - October 29, 2007 The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PADOH) released the results of a polycythemia vera (PV) investigation in this area on October 24, 2007. ATSDR reviewed PV cases that had been reported to the state cancer registry from 2001 to 2005. The public was given a one-page news release that stated that the ATSDR confirmed 38 cases of PV in Schuylkill, Luzerne and Carbon counties during that time period using a recently discovered genetic marker known as JAK2. What the ATSDR and the PADOH omitted from the news release was that there were 97 PV cases from these counties in the registry. The ATSDR scientists told the audience that out of the 97 patients, 38 took part in the study, 30 could not be found, 16 refused to participate and 13 had died. The ATSDR scientists also identified 34 additional cases of PV in the counties that had not been reported to the state cancer registry. Now, the state cancer registry had 97 PV cases and the ATSDR scientists found 34 additional PV cases not in the state cancer registry for a total of 131 PV cases in the tri-county area for the years 2001-2005. I did not hear the ATSDR or PADOH officials announce this fact at the meeting. The ATSDR scientists stated that they estimated the expected incidence of PV to be approximately 1 in 100,000 per year and that the tri-county area had an estimated population of approximately 500,000. Using these estimates, the ATSDR scientists said they expected about 5 cases per year for a total of 25 cases for 2001-2005. Instead, they found 131 PV cases, more than five times what was expected. This finding was not mentioned at the meeting. The numbers used in these calculations were from the ATSDR, not from me. The same selection criteria used to arrive at the people in the I in 100,000 estimate were used to arrive at the 131 figure. Few, if any, of the people used in the 1 in 100,000 estimate were tested for the JAK2 mutation. One PADOH representative was asked if he considered the results of the investigation to be a public health concern. He said that the results were not a public health concern but that the PADOH would continue to monitor the situation. If a five-fold increase in the incidence of a rare cancer is not a public health concern, then I don't know what is! |
