Demographics & Cancer?

sea60
sea60 Member Posts: 2,613
in Breast Cancer #1
I know there are many contributing factors causing cancers, but it's just so hard to ignore how many people in our subdivision growing up have been diagnosed. The subdivision was built back in the late 50's not far from an air force base. This was of course, your typical neighborhood back in the 60's & 70's where all of us kids (and there were a bunch) played for endless hours outside, in the dirt, on the grass, drinking water straight from the hoses...you know, REAL fun.

Now, just about every house has at least one person that has or had been diagnosed with cancer...and some have more than one family member. I fall into that category. My Dad is a 14 year colon cancer survivor, (no breast cancer on either side though). My childhood friend who is 49 was diagnosed about 6 years ago with luekemia. My other neighbor who grew up there was just diagnosed with stomach cancer...she's about 44! So it's not only older folks but us kids who are now older. I mean, is cancer THAT common? Has anyone had any experience with cancer being localized in an area?

Years later, rumor had it that a lot of areas around the base were used for dumping toxic waste. So, if its proven, it's a dead end anyway...it would be against the Government.

I wonder how many people ever ask for a soil sample to check any hazardous waste...ever here about that?

Just something to think about.

Comments

  • phoenixrising
    phoenixrising Member Posts: 1,508
    #2
    There are so many "supposed"
    There are so many "supposed" causes to cancer that it can drive one crazy. One thought I had while reading your post is while I boarded a plane recently there was a warning stating that the fuel exhaust was carcinogenic. This is good since it is at least recognized and once recognized then the battle can begin to do something about it. You can yourself have the soil analyzed. It would be interesting to know if you're on to something.
    Good luck on your research,
    jan
  • CR1954
    CR1954 Member Posts: 1,390 Member
    #3
    I know...
    That there is toxic waste in this area. Contamination from the Manhattan Project is buried near here, along with Love Canal. We know that the ground water is probably contaminated to some extent. There were chemical companies in the area and this is also a farming community.

    Growing up, our house sat practically in the middle of an apple orchard, which was regularly sprayed (back then with DDT and other now known carcinogens). It was also sprayed by air.
    We drank water from a well that was shallow enough that after pumping three buckets of water, it pumped sand..

    Almost every household here has experienced some form of cancer. Some of them, two and three different kinds.
    Nobody in my family has ever had bc, but they have had other kinds of cancer.

    I often think about the poisons that we live with on a daily basis...and the ones that simply weren't known when I was growing up. And I look up and down my street and can count the number of people who have NOT had to deal with cancer, easier than to count the ones who have.

    CR
  • laughs_a_lot
    laughs_a_lot Member Posts: 1,368 Member
    #4
    Out in the boonies
    We lived in the country and I only know of one other person within a mile of where I grew up that had cancer. We ate sprayed blueberries when I was a kid. Nearly all the kids in the neighborhood picked blueberries as a kid because it was one of the few ways to make money. We grew a lot of our own food until I was about 13. 40 chickens and a cow too. So I was not exposed to a lot of growth hormones in the food I ate.
  • Lynn Smith
    Lynn Smith Member Posts: 1,264 Member
    #5
    laughs_a_lot said:

    Out in the boonies
    We lived in the country and I only know of one other person within a mile of where I grew up that had cancer. We ate sprayed blueberries when I was a kid. Nearly all the kids in the neighborhood picked blueberries as a kid because it was one of the few ways to make money. We grew a lot of our own food until I was about 13. 40 chickens and a cow too. So I was not exposed to a lot of growth hormones in the food I ate.

    We live in the country.
    We live in the country with farms everywhere.Behind us, across the street and everywhere we drive.Since my dx I can't go by a field where they are spraying.It takes my breath and worries the dickens out of me.I think CANCER.The smells are worse since my husband is doing his best not to smoke near me.And I try to stay away when we burn paper.It is also stronger.

    I was dx in 2009.In 2010 a young mother I know was dx with Lung Cancer.My husband and I talk to her husband.The cancer is in Stage 4(also in her bones) but she is doing very good after a year. Her husband said they can't figure how it happened.She never smoked, he didn't smoke and neither did family members.Her family farmed and her dad made sure the orchard wasn't sprayed and very careful with the chemicals he used. Her in laws are farmers too.Still at a young age she has lung cancer.Her dx, mine and 2 men not far from us all diagnosed. All less than a year. Her with lung cancer, me bc, one man w/prostrate and one man/w colon cancer.We all live within 2-6 miles of each other.In different directions.

    Just recently a town about 9 miles from me found out their water had arsenic. That was quite a stink and alot of people worried. It was an all out fight within the town.People are still not over it.

    I think over and over what is causing this with so many women.Over 193,000 are dx with breast cancer.That is new cases a year. I read the stats.

    Lynn Smith
  • skipper54
    skipper54 Member Posts: 936 Member
    #6
    contributing factors
    We live in a rural farm and orchard community BUT we also have a sizeable army depot in the area. When BRAC cut jobs there some land was turned back to the local community BUT it had to cleaned up first. The county is a "hot spot" for cancer. Some have asked "why?" when we have no major industry here. "Hello", did you ever stop to think about what they had to clean up. We had munitions bunkers (with periodic destruction of old munitions), missile assembly, and tank and half-track repairs, etc. going on here. Cleaning agents were used that we know nothing about. There is a breeder of Siamese cats fairly close to the depot. Her cats get nothing except bottled water. ? ? ? ?

    On another note, my aunt & uncle live in Virginia, close to DC. They have both had kidneys removed due to malignant tumors. (18 months apart.) The doctor told them to have their kids (not living in the area any more) baseline tested as this was too much to be a coincidence. Thye are both now cancer free for over 5 years but you have to wonder don't you?
  • survivorbc09
    survivorbc09 Member Posts: 4,374 Member
    #7
    phoenixrising said:

    There are so many "supposed"
    There are so many "supposed" causes to cancer that it can drive one crazy. One thought I had while reading your post is while I boarded a plane recently there was a warning stating that the fuel exhaust was carcinogenic. This is good since it is at least recognized and once recognized then the battle can begin to do something about it. You can yourself have the soil analyzed. It would be interesting to know if you're on to something.
    Good luck on your research,
    jan

    Some have eluded to the fact
    Some have eluded to the fact that this can be true. Thanks for giving me something to think about.

    Jan
  • disneyfan2008
    disneyfan2008 Member Posts: 6,583 Member
    #8
    ERIN BROCKOVICH
  • Heatherbelle
    Heatherbelle Member Posts: 1,226 Member
    #9
    I have been thinking about
    I have been thinking about the same subject ALOT. We lived near a water treatment plant & a river when I was growing up. Mom & I diagnosed so close together, makes me wonder if we weren't exposed to something nasty that took this long to manifest itself as cancer. My girlfriend had a brother who died when he was a teenager of a type of lymphoma, and he lived with his mom in the neighborhood also, while my friend lived with her dad in another part of town. Makes you wonder. I'm having the genetic testing done soon, I see my Onc tomorrow & that, among other things, is something we're talking about.
    *hugs*
    Heather
  • jendrey
    jendrey Member Posts: 377
    #10
    Heatherbelle said:

    I have been thinking about
    I have been thinking about the same subject ALOT. We lived near a water treatment plant & a river when I was growing up. Mom & I diagnosed so close together, makes me wonder if we weren't exposed to something nasty that took this long to manifest itself as cancer. My girlfriend had a brother who died when he was a teenager of a type of lymphoma, and he lived with his mom in the neighborhood also, while my friend lived with her dad in another part of town. Makes you wonder. I'm having the genetic testing done soon, I see my Onc tomorrow & that, among other things, is something we're talking about.
    *hugs*
    Heather

    ...
    Does it count that I live within a few miles of not one, but two, SuperFund sites?!!

    I'm just sayin'

    Check your locality to a SuperFund site at: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/

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