West Palm Beach attorney Jack Scarola took the lead on this case for the Acreage residents. But if we do it to ourselves in the name of national security, in preparation for war, that seems to be sort of OK., Pratt & Whitney has not only identified itself with the countrys security but has enhanced its public image by embracing the fight against cancer and the cause of protecting the environment. Nearly 10 years after it was filed, Acreage cancer cluster lawsuit headed to trial this month The plaintiffs allege Pratt & Whitney dumped chemicals that caused brain The teenagers mysterious decline continued on to limping, vomiting, incontinence and perhaps her most disturbing symptom occasional fits of barking laughter that sounded so strange and demonic, her father wondered whether she was on drugs. The Hollings researchers identified a protein called transforming acidic coiled-coil containing protein While the jury found that Pratt & Whitney was not responsible for cancer that multiple residents contracted, the verdict said that the company "failed to exercise reasonable care in the use and disposal of radioactive materials" at the facility. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) define a cancer cluster as a greater-than-expected number of cancer cases that occurs within a group of people in a defined geographic area over a specific period of time. Instead, the Palm Beach County Health Department told Hatfield to direct further contacts to its lawyer. This site has been developed to help share information about a confirmed cancer cluster in The Acreage with those who After a five-day hearing in 2018, Marra rejected Hatfield's request to allow all Acreage property owners to be part of the lawsuit. In June of 2009, a local reporter got hold of one of the forms Dunsford was sending around and wrote a story about her efforts. A judge heard testimony Friday about a forensic investigation that's shedding light on radioactive materials found on the campus of Pratt & Whitney and The Acreage community. Every day since, Ive woken up with a pit in my stomach, worrying about my children. The family moved to Tennessee and sold their Acreage home through a short sale in 2011. To a lay audience, the scientific documents were indecipherable. A federal jury rejected claims Tuesday that Pratt & Whitney was responsible for a cancer cluster in The Acreage more than a decade ago. Prior to the cancer cluster, homes in The Acreage consistently sold at about 92% of the value of Jupiter Farms homes. Who knew what had been in the water that might be coming back to haunt residents? Hatfield, who had grown up in the area and had young children of her own, was familiar with the rumors of pollution and pesticides in the Acreage and throughout South Florida. And both were so grueling that they left the victors unsure whether the effort had been worth it. The Acreage suits which now include at least thirteen individual personal-injury and wrongful-death cases, and two class-action suits over the loss of real-estate value are no easy moneymakers. The Law Did Not Treat Them Kindly. After years of litigation, their attorney, Jan Schlictmann, was left temporarily bankrupt, homeless and personally devastated. Some who were unable to sell simply walked away from their homes. Perhaps because her tumor was only partially removed by the surgery, or perhaps because she now has fluid in her skull, she still suffers from severe headaches, vomiting and peripheral eye damage. Once the lawyers get involved, then the lawyers have to talk, the countys Alina Alonso explained to me. He left out the fact that he was an engineer for Pratt & Whitney. While the frustrated participants resigned in protest, another member of the group, who had expressed doubts about environmental factors in the cluster, later received a nice surprise: a letter from the Florida Department of Health commending his efforts and offering help in finding funding for his projects. Pratt was taking other risks, too. The plaintiffs' attorneys will appeal this week's decision and said there are other cases brought by residents that have not gone to trial. Thats where public health does its best job. She felt that the high number of pediatric brain tumors in the Acreage was most likely due to chance rather than any environmental cause (she also noted that the rate was no longer elevated). The entire story might have ended there, in 2010, if attorneys hadnt taken up where public-health officials left off. The mining company had already been caught up in a related environmental scandal. Without a clear culprit for the cancers, some residents began blaming the families of the sick for the crisis. The plaintiffs lawyers also unearthed company correspondence indicating that some of these radioactive materials wound up outside of their proper storage places. The Samarripas moved to Alabama, where Hannah, now 20 and in college, is flourishing, according to her mother. According to a 1983 report, there were three plumes of jet fuel totaling some 53,000 gallons beneath the companys property, and a layer on top of the groundwater in certain places as well. Typically, each year, one in 30,000 to 40,000 children in the United States is expected to develop a brain tumor; but the Acreage, with a population of 39,000, had four pediatric brain-tumor cases between 2005 and 2007. Still, she fervently hopes that someone can find whatever it is thats made kids sick, stop it, and help clean it up. She is now exploring the possibility of moving Jennas grave near their home in Georgia. Most cancer clusters reside in a gray area of uncomfortable non-resolution. Disclaimer: This map is intended to be used as a visual tool ONLY. Study Being Conducted in The Acreage Has Been Canceled. However, though the study did not find an association with workplace exposures, it did confirm the elevated brain-cancer rate at the North Haven plant. Charlie Crist and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-FL, have urged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to get involved. But it could be something in the ground, pesticides, we dont know. As they anxiously eyed the array of health officials lined up on the stage, the Acreages residents got the news that none of them wanted. A federal jury rejected claims Tuesday that Pratt & Whitney was responsible for a cancer cluster in The Acreage more than a decade ago. As you can see on the map, we are tracking all health concerns that are reported to us. Your Photos. WebThank you for visiting The Acreage Cancer Study website. The Samarripas left the Acreage in 2010. She cant see some colors and has difficulty with organization and telling time, according to her mother. So they were shocked to hear the health officials explain that the community was definitely experiencing a cluster of pediatric brain tumors, as well as elevated rates of all cancers at all ages. The study found that much of South Florida lies in a childhood cancer cluster. According to The Palm Beach Post last week, U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth Ryskamp recently dismissed two separate lawsuits claiming aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney was responsible for a cluster of cancer-related illnesses affecting Acreage residents. When she first moved to the area, Becky Samarripa was charmed by the sight of horses trotting by and people fishing in the canals that crisscrossed the neighborhood. State workers this week are taking soil samples in the Acreage, digging soil, digging for answers to what's causing the pediatric cancer cluster. Trucking manifests and other documents will show that contaminated soil, most of which was shipped out on rail cars to hazardous disposal sitesin Michigan and South Carolina, was handled properly, he said. Even the politicians in attendance were unhappy. WebThe Acreage is an unincorporated Palm Beach community which has experienced significant growth in its 25 years to around 39,000 people. Jane Musgrave covers federal and civil courts and occasionally ventures into criminal trials in state court. "If they can't get that verdict, it kind of dimmers where we're at here because what is it going to take here? The chances of so many childhood cancers concentrated in such a small place ranged from 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,000 -- a cancer cluster, experts determined. And a local firm began representing several of the cases. But a few months later, Dunsford learned that another student in the local elementary school had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, which made four children with brain cancer that she knew about, all living within two miles of one another. This woman was one of several who told me they fought often with their husbands about leaving the Acreage. Yesterday, the law firm of Searcy, Denney, Scarola, Barnhart, and Shipley held a news conference about lawsuits related to a cluster of pediatric brain cancer in the residential neighborhood Acreage, located in western Palm Beach County. Much of the information released by the Health Department during this period was open to interpretation. WebThe Faces of The Acreage Cancer Cluster Name: Garrett D. Diagnosis: Brain Tumor Age of Diagnosis: 5 Status: Medical monitoring at St. Jude Childrens Hospital Biography: Garrett was five years old when he was diagnosed with an Astrocytoma brain tumor. Acreage cancer cluster trial underway in West Palm Beach, Tornado that tore through Palm Beach Gardens had winds of at least 100 mph, Trees toppled, homes damaged, cars overturned in tornado, Tornado tosses boat from cove onto lawn in North Palm Beach, Unofficial Boca Bash to draw thousands of boaters Sunday, Fort Lauderdale Air Show delayed until afternoon because of bad weather, Verhaeghe scores in OT as Panthers eliminate Bruins from playoffs, Cleanup underway after tornado rips through North Palm Beach neighborhood, Butler, Heat start semifinals with 108-101 win over Knicks, National Weather Service upgrades tornado to EF2 with peak winds of 130 mph. _gaq.push(['gwo._trackPageview', '/2354831680/test']); The history of such litigation doesnt paint a hopeful picture for the plaintiffs, who include Jessica Newfield; Garretts parents, Jennifer and Greg Dunsford; and Joyce and Bill Featherston, the mother and stepfather of Joey Baratta. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. In the fall of 2004, the little girl often played in the grass of her yard with her two dogs. Florida will appeal to the federal government for help investigating the cancer cluster in The Acreage, Gov. Attorneys claimed that the state failed to properly test for specific radioactive contamination, ignored concerns voiced by its own people and neglected to hold Pratt & Whitney accountable for not cleaning up years' worth of toxic contamination in the area. The presence of technologically enhanced concentrations of NORM products (TE-NORMS) in water systems can be associated with the metal processing industry, particularly airplane engine and turbine manufacturing; however, high concentrations of these radionuclides in an environment are more readily associated with mining operations, including the type of shell rock mining conducted by the Aggregates. She said she and other lawyers scoured tens of thousands of documents. _gaq.push(['_setAllowLinker', true]); ", Jury rejects Acreage families lawsuit against Pratt & Whitney, Tornado that tore through Palm Beach Gardens had winds of at least 100 mph, Trees toppled, homes damaged, cars overturned in tornado, Tornado tosses boat from cove onto lawn in North Palm Beach, Unofficial Boca Bash to draw thousands of boaters Sunday, Fort Lauderdale Air Show delayed until afternoon because of bad weather, Verhaeghe scores in OT as Panthers eliminate Bruins from playoffs, Cleanup underway after tornado rips through North Palm Beach neighborhood, Butler, Heat start semifinals with 108-101 win over Knicks, National Weather Service upgrades tornado to EF2 with peak winds of 130 mph. And being part of the defense industry carries weight not just in the court of public opinion, but also in a court of law. Seminole Ridge High is a big school, and its ample, stucco-walled auditorium can hold hundreds of people, as it does for the pep rallies before Hawks games. Hatfield countered that medical experts her West Palm Beach firm hired will refute those claims. Lack of proof was cited as the reason for the dismissals. While Jessica, now 20, is attending college, Tracy has been spearheading the creation of the Garden of Hope, a place in the Acreage where people can go to honor their loved ones who have had cancer. var _gaq = _gaq || []; The Newfields are one of the few directly affected families to stay in the Acreage. But he also has a special outlook on life that his mother treasures and thinks may have resulted from his trauma. Kaye McCann says she doesnt miss Florida only Jenna, who is still buried there. I think about it every day, says one resident, who didnt want to give her name lest she be pilloried for believing in the cluster. Log in, 2010 Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, LLP, All Rights Reserved, Rori Feldman is the attorney responsible for the content of this website. I was _gaq.push(['_setDomainName', 'none']); When Hannah got sick in 2007, her mother had no idea that, just a few blocks away in the Acreage their lush South Florida community other children had also suffered through the same awful symptoms. The one kind of contamination that distinguished the Acreage, according to Hatfield, was ionizing radiation, which was not just an established cause of brain cancer but the byproduct of local industry. While Marra warned Hatfield, he declined Gallagher's request. Hatfield and her boss, Jack Scarola, ordered further testing of the soil and water. Contact her at jmusgrave@pbpost.com. The information reflected on this map has been voluntarily provided by persons from The Acreage. When it comes to cancer, were more on the prevention side, she told me when I met with her in Palm Beach this past April. After Jenna got sick, Kaye and her husband, David, began making kid-size surgical scrub caps with cars and animals on them. The most likely cause the only cause is the transportation of Pratt Whitney materials to The Acreage, she said during opening statements. Isolation was clearly part of the reason that Pratt originally chose its location in Florida. So its to the credit of those who pushed for a more thorough look at the Acreage including then-Governor Charlie Crist and Senator Bill Nelson that an investigation into the possible causes of the cluster was launched at all. The acreage is an unincorporated area in Palm Beach County, it's not the actual name of the city. "We were just really shocked that it came back not in their favor," Stephanie Ankiel West of the B.R.A.I.N Cancer Foundation of the Treasure Coast said. Many of the young families in the Acreage were drawn there by its relative lack of development. In addition to TE-NORM, radionuclides have been detected in the Acreage that are not naturally occurring. Since there is no evidence that contaminated groundwater traveled a distance of 6 to 14 miles to the Acreage from Pratts 7,000-acre compound off the Beeline Highway, Hatfield and her legal team will argue that it was carried there by trucks. Before you start printing and downloading, be sure you have read the article first. Like most other suspected clusters, that one had failed upon investigation to clear the statistical bar. Kayes doubts proved well-founded just a few days later, when Dr. Alina Alonso, director of the Palm Beach County Health Department, told reporters that her agency wasnt planning to do any soil testing or other investigation into the causes of the cluster beyond interviewing families. He doesnt value things at all, is how Dunsford described Garrett recently, adding that hes become the family comforter. Also citing the gag order, Pratt & Whitney declined to answer questions for this article, stating only that Pratt & Whitneys position is documented in its court filings related to the Acreage.. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. Water testing in the affected homes turned up several radioactive contaminants.
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