Hank Investigates: Dying To Know

The way Mike Mavrides looks at it, too many people in his hometown, Plainville die of cancer.

Mike Mavrides
"These are the people who have died, Stanley Wyack, Mr. Roy, John Needham, Mrs. Cooney."

Susan Riley thinks too many people in her Somerville office building were getting cancer, seventeen including herself!

Susan Riley
"It is really something out of the ordinary."

Valerie Damelio says too many children in her Wilmington neighborhood are getting leukemia, including her son Nicholas.

Valerie D'Amelio
"In my heart, I believe there's a problem somewhere."

Is it something in the air? Is it something in the water or the soil? Years ago, the Department of Public Health was asked to find out what were making people in those towns sick.

Valerie D'Amelio
"It scared the hell out of me, it really did."

But our investigation found these people and thousands of others are still waiting for results! The DPH state agency required to solve their health mysteries. The Bureau of Environmental Health Assessment is so far behind. Many communities are not getting answers to life and death questions.

Matt Wilson, Toxics Action Center
"It's outrageous that this is allowed to happen."

Environmental experts say the Bureau's delays are leaving people's health at risk.

Matt Wilson
"The DPH has a goal of identifying environmental health threats and I don't think they're doing it. And if they're not going to do it, they shouldn't be putting out that promise."

Judy Fittery thinks the wait is killing her.

Judy
"I'm dying a little every day."

Judy thinks chemicals from this landfill near her house already caused four family members and several family pets to die of cancer. Judy's had two mastectomies and a hysterectomy-she now has an unexplained rash.

Judy
"It frightens me to take a breath of air."

Others in her Tewksbury neighborhood also have cancer and the rash and Judy's handwritten notes show in 1991, she and her town asked the Bureau to find out what was wrong. It is now 9 years later.

Hank
"What results do you have from the DPH?"

Judy
"Absolutely none."

Hank
"Nothing?"

Judy
"Nothing."

This Bureau list we obtained proves its the same in more than 100 communities across the state. In each residents are waiting for the results of environmental investigations. What's causing the lung cancer in Attleboro? Ovarian cancer in Norwood? Breast cancer in Somerville? Some requests are now 3, 4, 5, up to 9 years old! Suzanne Condon runs the Bureau.

Hank
"Are you worried that people in those communities may be getting sicker as time goes by? As they wait for answers?"

Suzanne Condon
"I don't believe that there are lots of people getting sick"

Condon insists her investigators are working as fast as they can but explains she has too many community requests and too few people to complete them.

Hank
"Are you comfortable with that?"

Suzanne Condon
"Would I like to respond to requests sooner than later? Absolutely I would."

So would residents of Foxboro, who wonder if this landfill in Foxboro poisoning the air and water? Letters we obtained reveal five years ago local health departments begged the Bureau for results. So far nothing.

Mary Costain, Foxboro Activist
"I mean how many years do we have to wait until we get some answers?"

Good question. We found the Bureau's backlog, even to start a study, is now up to 18 months!

Hank
"So on this list there are studies that haven't even begun?"

Suzanne Condon
"Right."

Hank
"Haven't even started."

Suzanne Condon
"Correct."

Condon says past Bureau studies find an explanation for disease clusters about 1 in 4 times! That means many towns on this waiting list DO have a problem they just don't know it yet.

Hank
"In one out of four you're going to be able to tell people what's happening! Why they're getting sick."

Suzanne Condon
"Or at least a part of it, correct."

Hank
"But right now, people just have to wait for an answer."

Suzanne Condon
"Correct."

Like Judy Fittery, they're dying to know and wondering if they'll be alive to see the results.

Judy Fittery
"People's lives are at stake, and they shouldn't have to live under this cloud of the unknown."

There is a move on Beacon Hill now to get the bureau more funding. But while the Bureau complains it doesn't have enough resources to do its work, we found right now there are a dozen job openings on the staff! Officials told us they're working to fill them.