Four EPA Superfund Sites and the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy Aquifer... how can you not get Pancreatic Cancer?

Upon reading comments from those with Pancreatic Cancer or with family members dying from Pancreatic Cancer on the Cancer Compass website, I was intrigued by the number of cases occurring in Southern New Jersey.  I found it odd.  I, alone, know several people who died from the disease in my area, in addition to my father now fighting the disease.  Reading that Petroleum products could be linked to Pancreatic Cancer from the guide book provided by my father's surgeon, I placed the words "Petroleum and New Jersey" in Google Maps.  I discovered a profound cluster of red dots representing Petroleum locations all along the Delaware River the length of New Jersey.  Unfortunately, to my surprise, Petroleum turned out to be only the tip of the toxic iceberg.

Have you ever heard of an EPA Superfund Site?  I was downright dumbfounded to find out that the public water I had been consuming for the 23 years that I lived in my hometown of Pennsauken New Jersey was excessively contaminated by at least four EPA Superfund Sites.  Who knew? 

Pennsauken's water supply comes from the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer.  In addition to the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer being contaminated with toxic substances such as PCB-1242, PCB-1248, PCB-1254, PCB-1260, TCE, PCE and DCA, the most frightening aspect of all is that the aquifer is also contaminated with some very dangerous metals.  Time to bring out the Periodic Table from Chemistry 101... a lesson to be learned... can elements classified as "metallic" cause Pancreatic Cancer?  

A century of industrial waste has made drinking water in Camden and Pennsauken  New Jersey like ingesting a mixed cocktail of periodic elements.  Mercury, Hexavalent Chromium, Cadmium, Arsenic, Lead, Radium, Thorium and Uranium are the metals found to be contaminants either in the soil or in the water at the multiple EPA Superfund Sites effecting Camden County's water supply.  Public water supply.  Municipal water supply.  Taxed water supply.

Welsbach & General Gas Mantle, Martin Aaron, Puchack Well Field and Swope Oil are the culprits, in my opinion, of many forms of cancers and diseases present in my ancestors as well as my immediate family and my offspring.  An interesting fact about Pancreatic Cancer that isn't expressed enough is that 90% of Pancreatic Cancer cases are considered sporadic, which means that the damage to the genes occurs after a person is born.  Inherited Pancreatic Cancers are less common, about 10%, and occur when gene mutations are passed within a family, from one generation to the next. Cancers begin when one or more genes in a cell are mutated, or changed, creating an abnormal protein or no protein at all.  The information provided by the abnormal protein is different from that of the normal protein, which can cause cells to multiply uncontrollably and become cancerous.  Most types of hereditary Pancreatic Cancer occur when a mutation needs to happen in only one copy of the gene for the person to have an increased risk of getting the disease.

Sporadic or hereditary, a genetic mutation occurred in someone's cell.  My great grandfather, who lived in Camden NJ died of Pancreatic Cancer.  His daughter, my great aunt, who was born in Camden, also died of Pancreatic Cancer.  Thorium, Radium and Uranium were the toxic and radioactive metals produced by the Welsbach & General Gas Mantle facilities in Camden between 1880 and 1942.  Studies show that inhaling thorium dust causes an increased risk of developing cancer of the pancreas.  Living directly at the Delaware River is like being in a windstorm.  My ancestors homes, playgrounds, churches, grocery stores and backyards were within a one to two mile radius of this site.  Inhalation, injection, or body exposure to radium can cause cancer and other body disorders.  Uranium is damaging to the pancreas, insulin production, information flow and cell function.  My ancestors relied on the public water provided by the city of Camden for their drinking water, their showers and their cooking water.  Could prolonged exposure to any of these metals mutate a human's genes to the point of creating cancer? 

Now, as if the radioactive metal contamination wasn't enough, then my ancestors were subjected to contamination provided by the Martin Aaron facilities from 1886 - 1998.  The primary metal contaminating the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer from this EPA Superfund Site was Arsenic.  Exposure to arsenic-contaminated wells may be associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. 

The majority of Pancreatic Cancers, as you recall, are sporadic.  My father's ancestors were not from Camden.  However, he did live in Pennsauken for a quarter of a century.  Pennsauken is part of Camden County, and also provides its residents with water from the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy aquifer.  In addition to the contaminants from the Welsbach and Martin Aaron sites, Pennsauken has at least two Superfund Sites of their own: Puchack Well Field and Swope Oil.  Hexavalent Chromium, Arsenic, Lead and Mercury are the metals of choice contaminating the Potomac-Raritan-Magothy from these Superfund Sites.

Chromium is already well recognized as having negative effects as a mutagen, binding and inducing DNA damage (single strand breaks), and has the potential to cause cell transformation.  Interesting is that cigarette smoke is an established risk factor for pancreatic cancer.  Cigarette smoke is known to contain hazardous metals like chromium, cadmium, and lead.  When a study was performed to determine how these metals in cigarette smoke impacted the pancreas, only chromium was significantly elevated in the pancreatic juices of patients with pancreatic cancer.

Mercury is probably the most interesting subject of interest when trying to find its link to Pancreatic Cancer.  The best articles about Mercury and Pancreatic Cancer have revolved around the Rutherford Building.  Ernest Rutherford won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1908 for his research with radioactive substances.  One of those substances was Mercury.  One hundred years after his work at the University of Manchester, three Doctors who were occupying Rutherford's former offices died of Pancreatic Cancer in 2007 and 2008.  The offices were condemned during an investigation that showed that the spaces were still contaminated with Mercury.  The University concluded, however, that the cases were incidental, and not linked to the Mercury, but there is so much evidence to the contrary.  Research has proven that mercury can damage insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. 

What a Pandora's box I have opened.  Is it better to live your life in ignorance, believing that your cancer is just your fate, and that your fate is in the hands of the Doctors and Surgeons treating you?  My research has blatantly shown me that no one really is willing to let the cat out of the bag on the causes of Pancreatic Cancer.  If you cannot rely on the EPA, the FDA, the Scientists, and the Physicians for accurate reporting of the health effects caused by substances we are exposed to day in and day out, how can you leave your fate in their hands?  I haven't quite figured out why the silence exists, but it exists. 

Would you drink poison if someone asked you to? What are Malathion and Lindane? Are they in your drinking water?

No?  You may want to check the EPA Superfund Site before you answer that question.  You may be drinking it without your consent... or even worse... you may actually even be paying for it... township public water... Who Knew?

Have you ever heard of the term "pesticide poisoning?"  It occurs when chemicals intended to control "pests" poison humans.  Farmers use pesticides on their crops.  Crops like tobacco and cotton.  Is there a correlation between pesticide poisoning and Pancreatic Cancer?  Is there a link between Malathion and Pancreatic Cancer?  How about a link between Lindane and Pancreatic Cancer?

Malathion and Lindane are carcinogens.  Carcinogens are a class of substances that are directly responsible for damaging DNA and promoting or aiding cancer.  Upon my father's diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer, I found out that my father lived, for 18 years, directly adjacent to a Pesticide Processing and Formulating Facility.  The facility is currently an EPA Superfund Site, called Pulverizing Services, and is located in Moorestown, NJ (please see the link to the right for the EPA's 'Record of Decision.'  The EPA decision will list each chemical of contamination.)  My father had well water for 14 of the 18 years he lived adjacent to this site.  He actually recalls the facility blowing up two times while living there.

Malathion and Lindane are organochlorine pesticides.  The more familiar organochlorine pesticides are DDT, DDE, aldrin and dieldrin (also in my father's drinking water.) This class of pesticides may act as endocrine disruptors, interfering with hormonal function of estrogen, testosterone and other steroid hormones.  The endocrine system is a network of glands throughout your body, which includes the pancreas.  What is interesting is that correlations exist between organochlorine pesticides and Pancreatic Cancer, GERD, periodontal disease, Hirschsprungs disease, and colitis.   ALL of these diseases run in my family.  Each classified as a digestive disorder.  Four generations of my family, starting with my father's father, have had some form of illness related to a digestive disorder. 

Did you ever wonder why the largest population of Pancreatic Cancer victims are African Americans?  How many generations of African Americans have worked in the cotton fields of Africa or the United States?  What is the predominant pesticide used for controlling insects in cotton agriculture ... Malathion.

Who Knew?  Pancreatic Cancer wiped out President Jimmy Carter's entire family.  His mother, father, two sisters and brother all died from Pancreatic Cancer.  Jimmy Carter's family lived near cotton fields, where Malathion was used.  You will often read that Pancreatic Cancer is caused by "genetics."  Well, what if the chemicals being ingested and inhaled by our ancestors were creating mutations in their genes that predisposed them and their descendants to Pancreatic Cancer?  Is that possible?  My research is leading me to believe the answer is "YES."

Your hobby could be killing you ... Bisphenol A, Epoxy, Toluene, Lacquer Thinner, Cyanoacrylate Glue ... got a mask?

"Understanding Pancreatic Cancer."  A great title for the "Guide for Patients and Caregivers" provided to my father from his surgeon upon diagnosis.

Does anyone understand this silent killer yet?  It is the 4th largest killer among cancer deaths in the United States, yet it is the hardest cancer to diagnose.  By the time you are diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer, it is usually too late.  Only 7% of those diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer are operable (not cured, just operable.)  The other 93% are left to survive the "chemo brain" population.  When I say "chemo brain," I am not describing the mental cloudiness that can take over your brain during and after chemotherapy.  I am describing the chemo-brains who cannot develop a better drug than Gemcitabine after 13+ years, leaving the Pancreatic Cancer patients helpless and confused by the dozens of combinations of drugs mixed with Gemcitabine that provide, at most, poor results (see chart: http://www.scribd.com/doc/26723877.)  The inoperable Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer patient survives, on average, 3-6 months. 

When I ask the question "does anyone understand this silent killer yet?," I am also asking ... what causes Pancreatic Cancer?  I learned two interesting facts from the guidebook provided by the Surgeon.  One was that exposure to chemicals related to petroleum may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer.  The second is that people who develop diabetes over age 50 have eight times the risk of getting Pancreatic Cancer.  These two facts may not seem related, but it got me researching.  

Although my father did not have diabetes upon diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer, he was DEFINITELY around such chemicals: EPOXY, TOLUENE, LACQUER THINNER, and finally, CYANOACRYLATE GLUE.  My father has been building model airplanes for well over 46 years, in an unventilated basement.  I am not talking 2 hours per week.  My father will work on his planes 8 hours straight on just a Saturday alone.   My mom remembers coming home from work to a stench, that in hindsight, was probably cancerous.

EPOXY resins alone are a type of polymerizing glue from bisphenol A, epichlorohydrin, and some amine.  Bisphenol A is a petroleum compound that is an endocrine inhibitor.  Now, I am not a scientist, but I can perform research.  My research is leading me to learn that Bisphenol A may contribute to exacerbate the development of type II diabetes.... interesting... Who Knew?

the Petroleum Industry ... morally obligated?

The Petroleum Industry comprised 45% of Fortune's Global Top 20 corporations in 2009, with total combined revenues of  $2,545,147 Million ... a number represented as 2.54515E+12 in an Excel spreadsheet... LARGE.  

Does a corporation have a MORAL obligation to fund research into the treatment of a disease that is scientifically proven to be caused by exposure to its product?

 

Who Knew?  Did you ever hear of the Greenpoint Oil Spill?  Although not in New Jersey, if you click on the google map picture to the right of this blog, you will see that Brooklyn is buried beneath that concentration of red dots ( aka "HUGE big red blob" of petroleum sites.)  Did you know that "Greenpoint has the highest pancreatic cancer rate in the nation?" http://www.blockmagazine.com/block_stock_barrel.php?title=lstrongggreenpoint_oil_spill_part_iii_th&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 

"The smell of death surrounds you, yeah" ... Lynyrd Skynyrd

SOUTH PHILADELPHIA - January 14, 2010 (WPVI) -- Some people in South Philadelphia and southern New Jersey were awakened by a strong odor early Thursday morning.

Officials from Philadelphia Emergency Management confirmed the smell came from the Sunoco refinery on Passyunk Avenue.

The refinery was emptying a tank, and something spilled on its floating roof.  Sunoco said the material does not pose a health hazard, but created the foul smell that can be described as sulfur.
Tests from the NJ DEP also indicate this is nontoxic.
Sunoco said it is working to clean up the problem.

Who Knew?  Sunoco was fined $300 for this incident. The oral drug Tarceva (erlotinib,) used in combination with the intravenous drug Gemzar (gemcitabine,) to treat Pancreatic Cancer, is a newer form of chemotherapy. This means it is "minimally" covered by Medicare (it's complicated... if you select, and pay for, the proper Medicare "Parts", you would pay $1,200 per month until you fall into some galactic donut hole, where you then begin to pay $3,900 per month. If you do not have the proper Medicare coverage, you are out-of-luck, and must pay full price, or $3,900 per month.) The bottom line ~ Tarceva only extends the average life of a Pancreatic Cancer patient by 2 weeks.  The average life expectancy of a Stage IV Inoperable Pancreatic Cancer patient is 3-6 months.  Therefore, it could cost $23,400 to extend life for 2 weeks with this "silent killer."  hmmmm $300 ... something doesn't smell quite right.

You play where you live... who knew?

Who knew?  My house was directly located at the Puchack Well Superfund Site.  If you look at the Topographic map, from the EPA Superfund Record of Decision, Puchack Well Field EPA ID: NJD981084767OU 01, you will see that it looks EXACTLY like the Aerial maps I have provided of my neighborhood ... horrific, isn't it. EPA Superfund Record of Decision ~ Puchack Well

What do you do for a living?

I found it strange that both surgeons who examined my father asked exactly the same question: "What did you do for a living before you retired?"

The reason that question was asked is because all surgeons trained in the field of the Pancreas know that Petroleum is an environmental hazard for this killer.  Did you know that?  I didn't.  And guess what?  I grew up surrounded by Petroleum.  All along the Delaware River are refineries and storage facilities.  I grew up between Petty Island (Citgo Petroleum) and Hess.  My friends and I would literally "play" at the Hess tanks.  Who knew?