Hi there, I was responding to the person who wrote about a cancer cluster in VT. Keep fighting and pushing for testing. It is only with citizen involvement that anything gets done with pollution problems. I am in grad school and studying Health Advocacy, we just read a book called "Living Downstream". I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know what chemical pollution is doing to us and the environment. The book was written in 1998 and there was mention of myeloma in several of the chapters. I believe she said that in 1998 myeloma was the third fastest growing cancer in the industrialized world but there was no increase in the non-industrialized world.

I personally feel all cancers are being caused by the environmental changes since the 1950's. Before World War II we used few, if any, pesticides or insecticides. Plants that manufacture these and other environmentally hazardous materials (such as plastics, a good DVD to learn more about what a "harmless" piece of plastic does to us and the environment from manufacture to disposal is "Blue Vinyl") were non existent. They came into existence because of the war, and then government encouraged them to market these products to individuals to stimulate the economy (jobs at these plants, jobs distributing the products, money made selling the products) but little or nothing has been done to protect the citizens or the environment. Each plant, by law, can open if they meet current requirements. It is up to us to prove their product is hazardous to us or the environment. The proof is always up to us, they are innocent until proven guilty. More of us need to be involved with this important cause.

I was diagnosed 7 years ago at 38, then the doctor said there were so few patients in the 30's that they weren’t really sure the proper dose of treatment for someone so young. Now they tell me that many people in their 20's are being diagnosed. Does anyone ever look at why a disease, first identified over century ago and up till several years ago, known to be a disease of old age, is now affecting some of our youngest citizens? The increase in cancer rates, global warming, pollution in fish and water etc. only started a steep climb after 1950 and continues on this uphill ride today.

I think this is the post that Mary Jo refers to in her post above-

"---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------=
------
> Sender: MYELOMA Multiple Myeloma Support List
> Poster: Kay Cromie
> Subject: Blood Cancer Cluster in a Neighborhood
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
------
>
> I grew up in a small town in Vermont, not in the country but next town
> over from Burlington, which is Vermont's largest city. Our town is only
> 1 square mile in size. There has been many blood cancer diagnosis in a
> 4(small) block area of my house, which is quite alarming. I was born in
> the 50's and all of the people that have been diagnosed in that area
> were living there when I grew up. I was diagnosed with mm, my mom
> non-hodgkins lymphoma, 2 neighbors, leukemia, lymphoma and my best
> friend since I was 5 years old was just diagnosed with mm. There are
> many many more, but I won't list them all, I can think of at least 11
> more. We did get in touch with local authorities to see if further
> investigation was merited, of course they came back to us and said at
> this time, they didn't feel it warranted further investigation. We are
> all trying to think of what could have happened in that area, they did
> put an interstate in not far from our neighborhood and at one time there
> was a very very small landfill, but it was buried well before I was
> born, but I am very suspicous of this. I am not really accepting of
> what the town authorities told us, I hate to say it, but I feel they are
> just trying to shush it up and keep a lid on it. Very frustrating and
> scary for everyone that lived in that neighborhood, they are all
> wondering if they will be next, I know it does no good to
> worry...but...easier said then done...=3D20"