they should make a movie about this

but at least they have a nice glow to them

So was the former tannery owners Hell Bent for Leather?

Paging Dr. Stockmann, paging Dr. Thomas Stockmann.

that's sad.

What's the deal with Robert Redford's pic in the article?

About that time, Claire Schlaff was involved in a breast cancer fundraising walk. She noticed what seemed like an unusually large number of women in their 30s with breast cancer.

How unusual.

/facepalm

FarkinNortherner: About that time, Claire Schlaff was involved in a breast cancer fundraising walk. She noticed what seemed like an unusually large number of women in their 30s with breast cancer.

How unusual.

/facepalm

You must live in White Lake.

And the Republican solution? Anyone? ANYone? That's right:

SHUT DOWN THE EPA!

Inbreeding?

I blame John Travolta.

Dear Chemical Companies.

Yeah. You're looking at some serious legal crap here. Let me help you. For a fraction of what the courts will make you pay out, I will offer the jury an alternative theory: Cancer Envy.

My research which is vast. Over 600000 units (unit = 1 second) of studying the cause and effect, I have incontrovertible proof that some people see cancer as a competitive disease. That is why daughters of women who have breast cancer get the very same disease.

Cancer Envy, as you will soon learn, is prevalent in society but there are cases of "Cancer Envy Blooms" occurring in such areas as Time Beach, Love Canal and the Chicago Cancer Treatment Center. These blooms are totally random and can occur anywhere. Note in my last example, no chemical processing has ever occurred there, yet the number of cancer patients per population is astounding.

During my deposition, I will wink and flirt with the female jurors, complement them on their intelligence and good looks even if they have neither. The lady holding my many, many displays will do the same to the men and she will, of course, be as attractive as two Pharmaceutical Reps.

So, send your check and tell me when I need to be there. There should be a six zeroes to the left of the decimal point. Try to schedule my appearance before 10 am as I usually begin drinking at 11 and my bartender hates when I reschedule.

Respectfully and currently sober,
Harry Freakstorm
Writer of the self published book, Cancer Envy! (Kinkos Copies, (c) 2011)

Dubai Vol: And the Republican solution? Anyone? ANYone? That's right:

SHUT DOWN THE EPA!

Because government mandated clean water is socialism. If the locals want clean unpolluted water, they can buy it in bottles at the store or have it delivered to their house.

People should be allowed the freedom to make their own health care decisions without big government interfering with their lives. Those towns wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for the chemical companies providing employment for the local people. Those people should be grateful for the sacrifices the owners of those plants made to help them create the town. It is the local inhabitants choice to live in a situation where they might be exposed to substances that endanger their health, although it is unlikely that any "contamination" actually came from an industrial source. More than likely there were high levels of methyl mercury, Dioxins, hexavelent chromium, polychorinated biphenals and other such naturally occurring substances in the local groundwater before the town was even built.

People should take more responsibility for themselves. Thats what freedom is all about.

I rode my bicycle past the Whitehall tannery a quarter-century ago. It was a tough thing to do, I still recall the stench.

The local people there are typically Mesos, Amerinds or Dutch, healthy and smart enough.

There was a very active chemical industry around there then.

Contrary to what one hears about Mi, the northern part of Michigander is rather upscale, at least during summer.

Yeah, this is why you can't believe what the gubmint tells you. Ask the EPA and they'll tell you the area is safe, the chemical levels are in 'acceptable levels' or some crap like that.

Bottom line is, if you have 'cancer clusters' like this , there's a reason. Dumps, factories, etc.

I recall reading about an area in PA that had a dump/paper mill waste site get filled over and used for a neighborhood...same story..higher than usual rates of cancer, higher rates of very rare cancers, etc.

I too live in a cancer cluster so I'm getting a big kick in the balls over this. Thanks Pratt-Whitney for the house I can never sell.

Came for the "A Civil Action" references, leaving cancer-free.

FFS TL;DR. Did they every get beyond anecdotal evidence and saying 'cancer cluster' a whole lot?
/I keep the cancer clusters by the froot loops

Dubai Vol: And the Republican solution? Anyone? ANYone? That's right:

SHUT DOWN THE EPA!

Well, the EPA designated Great Lakes as an "area of concern", so they done their job, amirite?

Midland, Michigan has a nice little technical mountain bike trail in a city 'forest park'. Part of this trail includes this bridge over a small body of water that connects to the Tittabawasee River.



Considering Midland is also the home of Dow Chemical, there's very strong incentive not to fall off the bridge.

I'm curious to see what's going to happen in China in a few decades to all those people who are being constantly exposed to chemicals and manufacturing waste.

Harry Freakstorm: Dear Chemical Companies.

Yeah. You're looking at some serious legal crap here. Let me help you. For a fraction of what the courts will make you pay out, I will offer the jury an alternative theory: Cancer Envy.

My research which is vast. Over 600000 units (unit = 1 second) of studying the cause and effect, I have incontrovertible proof that some people see cancer as a competitive disease. That is why daughters of women who have breast cancer get the very same disease.

Cancer Envy, as you will soon learn, is prevalent in society but there are cases of "Cancer Envy Blooms" occurring in such areas as Time Beach, Love Canal and the Chicago Cancer Treatment Center. These blooms are totally random and can occur anywhere. Note in my last example, no chemical processing has ever occurred there, yet the number of cancer patients per population is astounding.

During my deposition, I will wink and flirt with the female jurors, complement them on their intelligence and good looks even if they have neither. The lady holding my many, many displays will do the same to the men and she will, of course, be as attractive as two Pharmaceutical Reps.

So, send your check and tell me when I need to be there. There should be a six zeroes to the left of the decimal point. Try to schedule my appearance before 10 am as I usually begin drinking at 11 and my bartender hates when I reschedule.

Respectfully and currently sober,
Harry Freakstorm
Writer of the self published book, Cancer Envy! (Kinkos Copies, (c) 2011)

Mr. Freakstorm,

We appreciate your input on this matter. Enclosed is your check check for $0000000.01. Please note the additional zero to the left of the decimal point. We feel your expertise is worth the additional expense.

Sincerely,
Some Chemical Company

irwhiteboi:
I'm curious to see what's going to happen in China in a few decades to all those people who are being constantly exposed to chemicals and manufacturing waste.

I predict a greater than 90% mortality rate for all of them in less than ten decades.

FarkinNortherner: About that time, Claire Schlaff was involved in a breast cancer fundraising walk. She noticed what seemed like an unusually large number of women in their 30s with breast cancer.

How unusual.

/facepalm

Breast cancer in your 30's is unusual.

irwhiteboi: I'm curious to see what's going to happen in China in a few decades to all those people who are being constantly exposed to chemicals and manufacturing waste.

Well, it depends on what chemicals they're actually exposed to. By far the most commonly used chemical in any application is water. It's not really that dangerous in low doses. The primary 'chemicals' used in the tanning process are tannins, organic compounds from fruits and plants. I sort of doubt the local exposure level exposes the population to a more dangerous level of tannins than say, eating an apple.
Acrylic acid is also used, but in low concentrations it's not a health hazard. I have a hard time believing there is much left after all this time, especially since it's highly corrosive to the skin and eyes, it wouldn't really go unnoticed.

/Maybe find if your town actually has any significant level of pollutants before you go to the media about your 'cancer clusters'
//If only people would specify what the actual risk of the 'chemicals' involved are before whining about 'chemicals.' It's sort of like saying you're concerned about atoms, which atoms?

Mr_H: Midland, Michigan has a nice little technical mountain bike trail in a city 'forest park'. Part of this trail includes this bridge over a small body of water that connects to the Tittabawasee River.



Considering Midland is also the home of Dow Chemical, there's very strong incentive not to fall off the bridge.

YABBUT, everytime there is a spill, the city gets something new and shiny. The fish all glow. Friends parents live on Saginaw Bay right where all the farmer's fields runoff goes. They swim and fish there and I just shudder. Her parents are kinda thick, to say the least and he is a retired princepal and she a retired teacher.

Shirley Ujest: Mr_H: Midland, Michigan has a nice little technical mountain bike trail in a city 'forest park'. Part of this trail includes this bridge over a small body of water that connects to the Tittabawasee River.



Considering Midland is also the home of Dow Chemical, there's very strong incentive not to fall off the bridge.

YABBUT, everytime there is a spill, the city gets something new and shiny. The fish all glow. Friends parents live on Saginaw Bay right where all the farmer's fields runoff goes. They swim and fish there and I just shudder. Her parents are kinda thick, to say the least and he is a retired princepal and she a retired teacher.

Retired? That's a mean thing to say. Some people are just born with a lack of oxygen.

Barraku:

WTF are you talking about? Tanneries used to emit chromium and benzenes like crazy! Other metals like zinc were shed in amounts way over what is considered safe today, as well. We are not talking modern facilities here, we are talking age-old facilities that used to be here.

Dubai Vol: And the Republican solution? Anyone? ANYone? That's right:

SHUT DOWN THE EPA!

Since neither the Repub or Dem solution is working, we should try the libertarian solution: reinstate property rights and get rid of limited liability, making the EPA unnecessary.

ihatedumbpeople: Yeah, this is why you can't believe what the gubmint tells you. Ask the EPA and they'll tell you the area is safe, the chemical levels are in 'acceptable levels' or some crap like that.

Bottom line is, if you have 'cancer clusters' like this , there's a reason. Dumps, factories, etc.



not really, there was a group that made a big stink in Nebraska because their neighborhood seemed to have a unusually large number of people with cancer, they blamed it on the high voltage lines. Women in the neighborhood even put together an amateur study to show that proximity to the lines correlated with an increase in the cancer rates, of course, they forgot to extend their study to the adjacent neighborhoods(under the same powerlines) that had almost no cases of cancer.

The "bottom line" is that in a true random distribution you should expect to see some clusters. And the EPA is pretty good at what they do.

Balchinian: irwhiteboi:
I'm curious to see what's going to happen in China in a few decades to all those people who are being constantly exposed to chemicals and manufacturing waste.

I predict a greater than 90% mortality rate for all of them in less than ten decades.

Yea, but a large percentage of people dying in their 3rd or 4th decade is severe. Also, cancer blows.

HappyLittleTree:

You missed it.

"I predict a greater than 90% mortality rate for all of them in less than ten decades."

Is exactly the same as saying that less than 90% of them will live to be 100. A statistic which reflects "normal" 1st-world mortality. It was my snarky way of saying that we won't have to watch them in a few decades because we can just watch ourselves today to see the same results.

stuhayes2010: Breast cancer in your 30's is unusual.

Believing there to be an unusually high number of breast cancer survivors on a breast cancer walk more than hints at confirmation bias.

BigRightRear: I too live in a cancer cluster so I'm getting a big kick in the balls over this. Thanks Pratt-Whitney for the house I can never sell.

Ah, the Acreage. It's a real bummer. Didn't Erin Brockovich come out last year to talk to a group of homeowners there?

gameshowhost: ScubaDude1960: Since neither the Repub or Dem solution is working, we should try the libertarian solution: reinstate property rights and get rid of limited liability, making the EPA unnecessary.

Great, but does the libertarian solution also call for rescinding and forever eliminating the notion of corporate personhood?

If you don't take out that lynchpin, nothing will change. Transforming the legal system does nothing if the ones that are making the violations still have the same virtual immunity as they did under the old system.

/never minding the fact that suddenly eliminating limitations on liability would collapse the world economy, overnight
//not that i don't agree that it's a good idea to get rid of limited liability
///just noting... well, that... consequences would nevar be the same

How so? Not every company (in fact, very few companies) is doing things that would create a huge liability. Sure, things like chemicals and leather would go up in price, but they never should have had the price-dropping limited liability in the first place.