Living Downstream: A Scientist's Personal Investigation of Cancer and the Environment

Normandale, a small Illinois town of 480 people, is situated amid industry, chemical plants, a coal-burning power plant, a grain processing center, an ethanol distillery, a landfill that operated without state permits, and rusty barrels leaking unknown substances. A study by the Illinois Department of Public Health, which relied on actual and projected rates of cancer based on the cancer registry, indicated normal cancer rates. Questionnaires about experiences with cancer symptoms were sent to community members in lieu of face-to-face interviews. However, the questionnaire return rate was only 37.5%.

Cancer distribution within a space can offer just as many clues to causes as time. Cancer rates are often calculated by the number of diagnoses per 100,000 people. This method becomes tricky when working within a small town. More than half of all cancers occur in developing areas as opposed to wealthy ones. The International Agency for Research on Cancer revealed that populations in areas where smoking, consuming a western diet, industrialization, and obesity rates are higher have a greater risk of cancer. The Blacksmith Institute in New York, which provides data on illnesses in the most polluted cities, showed that increased coal production between 2000 and 2005 resulted in more polluted air and increased illness.