Long-term study finds link between childhood cancer and contaminated water in Wilmington in the 1990s

A state study shows a link between a cluster of childhood cancer cases in Wilmington in the 1990s, and a public water source contaminated during that time, according to the state.Now, the 22 families whose children were diagnosed with cancer between 1990 and 2000 finally can say for sure it was the drinking water that caused their child to become sick.During the 1990s, officials found that there was prenatal exposure to n-nitrosodimethylamine, or NDMA, which was being used at a chemical manufacturing company at 51 Eames St. and was found to have contaminated an aquifer supplying public water, a press release says. While the 53-acre site is no longer used for that purpose – it’s owned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is a Superfund site – there were companies in operation there from 1953 through 1986. The last was Olin Chemical Corporation, which bought the site back in 1980.While there were just two childhood cancer diagnoses in Wilmington between 1982 and 1989, that number jumped to 22 between 1990 and 2000. Eight of the children had leukemia, another three were diagnosed with lymphoma. Since then, the rates have dropped to around one annually. The group of cases occurred in the south and west areas of town, according to the state.The state also analyzed trichloroethylene (TCE) found in the town’s water during that time; the source of it is unknown, the release said.Through the study, authorities found that there was an association between prenatal exposure to NDMA, or both NDMA and TCE, and pediatric cancer. The association was consistent in various analyses and was “statistically significant” when it came to the cases of lymphoma or leukemia, and NDMA exposure. 

“The results remained consistent even after statistical adjustment for other possible cancer risk factors, such as maternal pregnancy exposures, household and occupational exposures, family history of cancer, and childhood medical history,” the state said.

The trend was limited specifically to prenatal exposure – kids exposed to the chemicals did not have increased chances of developing cancer.

Of the 22 children who became sick during that time, two have died, according to The Boston Globe. There’s a sense of relief among some members of the group of families affected to finally know, Kathleen Barry, a spokesperson for them, told the newspaper.

“We’re all struggling to make something good out of such a bad situation,” she said.

The state began investigating the cluster of pediatric cancer cases in 1999 after the town’s Board of Health, and a group of residents, made contact with the state’s Department of Public Health over the illnesses, according to officials. To figure out if there was a relationship between the cluster of cancer diagnoses and exposure to the chemicals, the state had to use computer models to help figure out the concentration of the chemicals at the homes of those who participated in the study, according to the Globe, which contributed to how long it took to complete.

Families were surprised that it was prenatal exposure, Barry said.

“They were shell-shocked by this,” Barry told the Globe. “Even though they expected the link, they were dumbfounded with how the department figured it out.”

Olin had set up a fund to pay for education, health care, and other needs of the children affected, according to Barry. She said the families probably will not file a lawsuit.

Today, Wilmington’s water is not contaminated with NDMA or TCE, according to officials. The aquifer at the center of the exposure is still contaminated, however, it isn’t used for the public water supply anymore. In 2003, contaminated wells were closed, the state said.

The EPA also released a $48 million proposed plan last August to clean up the Superfund site, according to the state.

“I wish to express my deepest sympathies to the families,” Jeffrey M. Hull, Wilmington town manager, told the Globe. “There is no more terrifying diagnosis for anyone to receive, and particularly a parent, than to be told that their child has cancer.”

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