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LOXAHATCHEE – At a
community forum tonight, officials from the Florida Department of Health (DOH)
and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced
additional environmental testing in The Acreage community in Palm Beach County
during the coming weeks. Last week, DOH announced results from its Phase II
investigation indicating slightly elevated levels of pediatric brain and central
nervous system cancers among females age 0 to 19.
“The Department of Health is
continuing our investigation and will do everything possible to identify a cause
for the increase of pediatric brain cancers in The Acreage,” said State Surgeon
General Ana Viamonte Ros. “We have reached out to our federal partners and asked
for their help and resources as we continue our search for answers for the
residents of the Acreage.”
Understanding the community’s concerns and desire for
additional information regarding possible causes of the pediatric brain cancers, DOH has requested further guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. DEP is also closely
coordinating with the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Any aid
from the federal agencies will build upon the knowledge of state officials and
provide access to added resources.
At the community forum, DOH and DEP outlined
what types of additional environmental testing would take place, including:
- DEP’s Division of Waste Management will conduct water and soil sampling at the
12 residences where cases of pediatric brain cancer have been identified.
- DOH’s Bureau of Radiation Control will conduct a full range of gamma radiation
measurements for the indoor and outdoor areas of these 12 residences.
Later this
week, officials from both DOH and DEP will develop a science-based protocol for
the testing, which will begin in the coming weeks. Following the testing of the
additional 12 residences, other locations may be sampled.
“We stand ready to
assist the Department of Health in this next phase of their investigation,” said
Mary Jean Yon, Director of DEP’s Division of Waste Management. “We are committed
to the community, and the results from the additional environmental testing will
help supplement the data initially collected.”
For more information about DEP’s
drinking water sampling within The Acreage, visit
www.dep.state.fl.us/southeast/acreage/default.htm.
DOH promotes, protects
and improves the health of all people in Florida. For more information, visit
www.doh.state.fl.us.
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2012 State of Florida