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If You Suspect a Cancer Cluster

If you’re concerned that you may be living in a cancer cluster,
first make sure you have facts and documentation about the cancers
in your area, says Linda Gillick, a resident of Toms River, N.J., the
location of an infamous childhood cancer cluster.

Next, contact your local county health office to get in touch with your
regional cancer registry. The registry staff can tell you if the rates of
cancers in your area are unusual, explains Raymond Richard Neutra,
the chief emeritus of the Division of Environmental and Occupational
Disease Control at the California Department of Public Health.
Report any worrisome findings to your local, county and state health
agencies. “If that doesn’t work,” suggests Gillick, “go to the media.”

Visit www.communityhealthstudies.com for more information about
the study of environmental health issues such as cancer clusters, says
Wendel Brunner, the director of public health for the health services
department of Contra Costa County, in California.