Acreage Investigation
Letter from
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC)
Atlanta, GA 30333
Dated October 27,2010
Dr. Lisa Conti. Director
Division of Environmental Health
Florida Department of Health
4052 Bald Cypress Way, BIN A-OS
Tallahassee, FL 32399
Dear Dr. Conti,
Thank you Lisa for consulting us and providing CDC the
opportunity to review your investigation of childhood brain cancers in The
Acreage community. My staff and I reviewed the following documents provided
by the Florida Department of Health (FLDOH):
-
FLDOH Acreage cancer review. Palm Beach County, August 2009
-
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FLDEP). Acreage investigation water sample results, February 2nd 2010
-
FLDEP, Summary of soil and drinking water sampling results for residence located in
-
The Acreage, February, March and April2010
-
FLDEP Guide to understanding soil sampling results, July 19, 2010
-
FLDEP Radon testing results
-
FLDOH Acreage community case control data analysis. September 2010
-
United States Environmental Protection Agency letter to Ms. Mary
Jean Yon, director
The documents listed above provide
results from environmental testing (drinking water and soil) for radon,
heavy metals, pesticides and other potential environmental contaminants. In
addition, they include results from an epidemiologic investigation to asses&
potential risk factors for brain tumors among children in The Acreage.
After thorough review of the documents listed above, we found
that the investigation completed by the FLDOH was comprehensive and
scientifically appropriate. Based on the data provided, we concur with the
conclusion of the FLDOH that the investigation (including the case control
study and environmental testing) did not reveal any potential risk factors
for which exposure among cases was statistically significantly higher than
exposure among the controls. We do not have any recommendations for
additional epidemiologic studies or environmental testing at this time.
We hope that the extensive environmental testing and the case-control study have provided the residents of the Acreage with valuable scientific information to help allay their concerns about environmental contaminants in their community.
Sincerely,
Michael A. McGeehin, PhD, MSPH
Director, Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects
National Center for Environmental Health. MS-F-S2
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Atlanta, GA 30333
cc: Dr. Lauren Lewis
Dr. Kanta Sircar
pdf version
Acreage Neighborhood Community Update November 2010
This website will be updated regularly by the Palm Beach County Health
Department.
