Twenty-one cases of childhood leukemia were diagnosed in that community from 1969 to 1986 and eight children died. There was also an elevated rate of birth defects, as well as other health problems in Woburn. The film, starring John Travolta and based on the book by Jonathan Harr, chronicles the families’ courtroom battle with two large corporations, W. R. Grace Co. and Beatrice Foods.

In 1988, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded a detailed investigation that demonstrated the groundwater contamination came from five properties located around the municipal wells. Studies also showed the risk of developing childhood leukemia was greater for a child whose mother drank water from the contaminated wells while she was pregnant. More details about the case can be found at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

The American Cancer Society Was There

Less well known is the "behind the scenes" role played by the American Cancer Society's New England Division, which now includes the former Massachusetts Division. As part of its earliest advocacy efforts in the early 1980s the ACS pushed hard to establish the Massachusetts Cancer Registry.

A cancer registry identifies and tracks cancer cases, often pointing out "clusters", which can be described as more cancers in a particular geographic area than would normally be expected. One of the first clusters identified in Massachusetts was the high rate of childhood leukemia in Woburn.

In 1992, Congress established the National Program of Cancer Registries. This authorized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide funds for states to improve existing cancer registries, and to plan and begin registries in states where they did not exist. Most states now have a cancer registry. The current budget of $24.2 million will help promote state cancer registries as crucial components of national cancer prevention and control efforts.

Superfund

To respond to growing public concern about the release of hazardous substances from abandoned waste sites, Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act in 1980 (also known as the Superfund). It provides funds for the EPA to investigate and cleanup sites contaminated by hazardous substances. The EPA has the authority to seek out parties responsible for any release of contaminants and to enlist their cooperation in cleanup.

The EPA and Commonwealth of Massachusetts reached a Superfund settlement of $69.4 million with W. R. Grace & Co., UniFirst Corp., New England Plastics, Beatrice Co., Wildwood Conservation Corp., and John J. Riley, Jr. in 1990 for the cleanup of contaminated properties and for additional studies in Woburn. Most of the contaminated water and soil in Woburn has been removed and treated; however, the sediments in the Aberjona River still contain some pollutants.

Toxic Waste Sites

Hazardous waste is most often dumped into the environment in landfills and on industrial properties. About 40,000 hazardous waste sites have been reported to federal agencies, according to a 1997 report by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Thirteen hundred of these sites are on the National Priorities List (NPL), which the EPA identifies as sites that appear to pose the most serious threats to public health or the environment. The ATSDR reports about six percent of the sites on the NPL contain carcinogenic substances.

Although many toxic chemicals contained in such wastes can be carcinogenic (known to cause cancer) at high doses, most community exposures appear to involve very low or negligible dose levels. In fact, air, land, and water pollution cause about one percent of all cancer deaths.

Biggest Environmental Risks are Cigarettes and Sun.

The National Toxicology Program has identified 44 substances carcinogenic to humans, including arsenic, aflatoxins, asbestos, benzene, vinyl chloride, and radon. A complete list of substances is available from The National Toxicology Program. Many on the list have been banned from production.

But the two largest cancer risk factors in the environment are cigarette smoke and ultraviolet light. Smoking is the most preventable cause of death in our society. Tobacco use is responsible for almost one in five deaths in the US. Although the number of cardiovascular deaths is declining, smoking-related cancer deaths continue to rise. More women die each year from lung cancer than breast cancer.

Most of the estimated one million cases of skin cancer diagnosed in the US each year are sun- related. Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, will account for about 44,200 cases of skin cancer in 1999 and most of the deaths due to skin cancer. The number of new cases of melanomas diagnosed each year in the US has doubled since 1973.

• Cancer Reference Information: Childhood Leukemia
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention