That banned guy must be smiling at this from the NewsMess. CLYDE — Scientists said that it could be difficult to prove a commonly found chemical caused the local childhood cancer cluster that sickened more than 30 children. Attorneys for families of those affected by the eastern Sandusky County cancer cluster are trying to prove benzaldehyde, a liquid that evaporates when exposed to air and is used as a food flavoring, in cosmetics and as a solvent, is the cause of the cluster. The attorneys are pursuing a class-action lawsuit against Whirlpool Corp. Benzaldehyde is the only common denominator that has been found among some of the cancer victims, said Alan Mortensen, a Salt Lake City, Utah, attorney representing them. The chemical was found in dust in the attics of five Clyde homes, and cancer victims had lived in four of them. Mortensen has said elevated levels of benzaldehyde were found in the attics. But Bob Midden, Bowling Green State University associate professor of chemistry who reviewed the report of dust sampling, said the levels were much lower than standards that would trigger a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency investigation. Mortensen alleges Whirlpool released benzaldehyde and caused the cluster. Whirlpool’s top spokesman, Jeff Noel, said benzaldehyde is not a core part of its manufacturing at the Clyde plant — where it makes washing machines — but Whirlpool is looking at its supply chain to determine if benzaldehyde is used there. Determining the cause of any cancer cluster is extremely difficult, said Dr. Scott Masten of the National Toxicology Program at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. “It almost never happens,” he said. “It’s very frustrating to all the parties involved.” An agent can take 20 years to cause cancer in a person, making it difficult to pinpoint an exact cause, Midden said. In this case, proving benzaldehyde was the culprit adds additional challenges, because it is generally recognized as safe, Midden said. Benzaldehyde occurs naturally in the environment and is found in fruits and plants, he said. Benzaldehyde is used in a variety of products, including soap and perfume. At the levels found in cosmetics, benzaldehyde is not considered a carcinogen in people, according to the National Institutes of Health. “Because it’s such a safe chemical, you can have college students make it in the lab,” Midden said. Mortensen has cited a New Jersey Department of Health and Human Services fact sheet that said benzaldehyde can cause genetic mutations and that determining whether it is a cancer hazard needs further study. He also said cancer had been found in a study of lab animals. “The available evidence is so weak that benzaldehyde is a carcinogen,” Midden said. “There is no evidence that indicates it’s a human carcinogen.” The National Toxicology Program found no evidence that benzaldehyde caused cancer in rats, but did see some cases of cancer among mice, Masten said. “We only saw a relatively small number of tumors in mice,” he said. In very high levels, benzaldehyde — which has an almond odor — can be an irritant, Masten said. “You would definitely smell it,” he said. “It might make your eyes water.” The levels of benzaldehyde found in the attics are lower than the standard that would cause the U.S. EPA to investigate and perhaps do a cleanup, Midden said. The report done on the attic testing, which took place in March, lacks a comparison to attics in areas with normal rates of cancer, he said. Because benzaldehyde is so common, it might not be unusual for it to be found in attic dust, he said. “You would call it control data,” Midden said. “To satisfy a scientist, you would need a lot more data than what’s here. The biggest weakness is the small number of samples.” The report was prepared by Vanilla Environmental Partners of Pleasant Grove, Utah. Mortensen was not available for comment. Midden spoke to The News-Messenger in order to help explain the report results. For disclosure purposes, he said his wife works at the Sandusky County Health Department, which has investigated the cancer cluster. “I have nothing at stake in this one way or another,” he said. “If anything, I sympathize with the families. Ultimately I’m a scientist, and my loyalty lies with science.” mksmith@gannett 419-334-1044 or 419-734-7521 Twitter: @kristinasmithNM
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:04:10 +0000
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