“That was the scariest thing in the world for us, and then we started to realize that it was happening to other families in our city,” said Raso, whose family soon moved to Stoneham. “We felt that something was going on, but no one knew what.”
More than two decades later, the state Department of Public Health released a report on Wednesday that credited the Shallow Fears. The results “strongly suggested” a link between the high rates of childhood cancer in Wilmington in the 1990s and prenatal exposure to contaminated water at that time.
Between 1990 and 2000, at least 22 local children contracted cancer. Two of them died.
“Despite the limitations, including a small sample size and modeled exposure estimates, the study results show an association between childhood cancer and prenatal exposure to NDMA,” said DPH officials when announcing the results.
In an initial study in 2000, state officials identified an unusual pattern of children with cancer who lived on the west side of Wilmington. These findings prompted the legislature to fund a broader epidemiological study to determine whether they were the result of environmental factors.
In 2003, regulators identified a known carcinogen called n-nitrosodimethylamine, or NDMA, which was contaminating drinking water in one of the city’s aquifers, which was closed. They determined that the contamination came from a large chemical plant in the city that had been operated by a number of companies between 1953 and 1986.
The 53-acre site was last purchased by Olin Chemical Co. in 1980 and is now managed by the Environmental Protection Agency as a Superfund site. The EPA recently released a $ 48 million plan to clean up the area.
The study also investigated whether cancers were associated with exposure to trichlorethylene, or TCE, a solvent also present in water that has been linked to cancer. DPH officials said the results were “statistically significant”.
“The results remained consistent even after adjusting statistically for other possible cancer risk factors, such as exposures to maternal pregnancy, family and occupational exposures, family history of cancer and medical history of children,” health officials said in a statement. “There was no evidence of an increased likelihood of cancer in children exposed to NDMA or TBI during childhood.”
Olin Chemical Co. officials said in a statement that they were “in the process of reviewing the study and its findings”.
“Olin was not asked to participate or contribute information to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health or others in connection with the study,” said Ed Kral, a company spokesman. “We continue to work cooperatively and under the direct supervision of the US EPA and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to investigate and remedy the Wilmington site.”
Kathleen Barry, a spokeswoman for 18 families whose children were diagnosed with cancer in the 1990s, said many of the parents were relieved to finally have an answer.
“We are all struggling to do something good in such a bad situation,” she said.
Many families were shocked to learn that the the exhibition was prenatal.
“They were shocked by this,” she said. “Even though they waited for the link, they were baffled by how the department found this out.”
The study required researchers to develop computer models and reconstruct historical concentrations of chemicals in the homes of each study participant, which is part of the reason it took so long to complete, DPH officials said. The study was scheduled to be launched last year, but was postponed by the pandemic.
Only two cases of childhood cancer were diagnosed in Wilmington between 1982 and 1989, probably before chemicals entered the aquifer, the report found. The 22 cases in the 1990s included eight cases of leukemia and three lymphomas. Since 2001, the local incidence of childhood cancer has returned to expected rates, about one case per year, state officials said.
In the study, the researchers wrote that, although the “presence of these contaminants cannot definitively explain the pattern of cancer in childhood / adolescence”, the risks of exposure offered “what we believe to be a plausible explanation”.
Barry said families are unlikely to file a lawsuit against Olin, who has already established a trust fund to pay for his children’s health care, education and other financial needs.
It was unclear how the city would respond, given the long-term loss of a vital and profitable aquifer that provided some 3.5 million gallons of drinking water a day to the city’s 22,000 residents.
“I want to express my deepest condolences to families,” said Jeffrey M. Hull, the city administrator. “There is no more frightening diagnosis for someone to receive, especially for parents, than knowing that their child has cancer.”
He said city officials are taking the findings “very seriously” and will consult with an environmental consultant to determine next steps.
When asked if the city would sue Olin, Hull said: “I cannot offer any further comments pending a detailed review of the study.”
He said the city’s water supply is now safe, meeting state and federal requirements and undergoing regular testing.
“Providing safe and safe drinking water to residents and businesses is a central priority for the city,” he said.
Local environmental advocates, who have long expressed frustration at the city’s lack of action, said residents deserve to be compensated.
“This aquifer was a revenue generator for the city and that resource has been damaged, possibly irreparably,” said Martha Stevenson, chairman of the Wilmington Environmental Restoration Committee.
She said that many local residents felt justified on the merits of their suspicions.
“It was really frustrating to have to wait that long and have families in limbo for two decades,” said Stevenson.
For the Rasos, whose daughter Nicole is now a healthy 24-year-old preschool teacher, the report left them with mixed emotions.
“We are pleased that we have been validated, but it does not make us feel better that our children were sick and some of them died,” said Raso. “There is definitely some persistent anger.”
David Abel can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @davabel.