No link found for leukemia in Fallon kids

Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2001 | 11:13 a.m.

Nevada health officials investigating nine childhood cases of leukemia in Fallon have turned their attention to military activity at the nearby Naval Air Station.

The Navy's use of jet fuels, an accidental spill or a leaking storage tank may provide a clue as to what caused the cancer in children whose ages range from 3 to 18 years, state epidemiologist Randall Todd said Monday.

The state Health Division on Friday completed family histories and a review of health records for the nine families affected by rare cases of childhood leukemia, Todd said.

"We didn't find any smoking gun," Todd said.

State Health Officer Dr. Mary Guinan said last week that the only apparent link between the young leukemia victims is that in recent years they or their parents lived in Fallon, a rural town 60 miles east of Reno.

The nine cases were diagnosed between 1996 and last year.

The average annual leukemia rate nationwide is three in every 100,000 children. The state estimates 2,000 of the 8,300 Fallon residents are children, meaning the cancer is occurring at almost 150 times the expected rate.

Finding no link in the family histories or water supply, state officials turned their attention to increased military activity in the area since 1996.

The Naval Strike Warfare Center joined Top Gun and Top Dome in 1996, consolidating the three tactical aviation commands at Fallon.

When Top Gun came to Fallon from San Diego, it brought more aircraft, some of which dumped fuel over vast tracts of rural north-central Nevada, the Navy acknowledged in public hearings.

Top Dome offers advanced training for the E-2C Hawkeye, used to detect enemy ships and aircraft with advanced radar.

"We don't feel we have a finger to point at the Navy at this time," Todd said. "We have not asked for a record review, but clearly we have to be looking at naval activities."

Also, the state will ask the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to review the analysis to date.

If the federal agency offers to help Nevada officials "that would be wonderful," Todd said as state record keepers continued their search for other childhood leukemia victims.

Assemblywoman Marcia de Braga, D-Fallon, said Monday that she will hold hearings in February to speed the process of finding explanations for the childhood leukemia. De Braga is chairwoman of the Assembly Natural Resources, Agriculture and Mining Committee.

In addition to better communication, de Braga said legislative hearings could generate more funds for the state Health Division.

"There are a lot of scared people out there," de Braga said. "We need to move on this as soon as possible."

Exposures to chemicals or radiation could trigger childhood leukemia, a disease that destroys bone marrow.

Health officials inquired about adults or children exposed to pesticides, agricultural spraying, fingernail-polish remover and even mothballs inside the homes, Todd said. There was no common link among the families, he said.