Editorial: There is hope yet

Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2004 | 8:48 a.m.

Near the small community of Fallon, about 60 miles east of Reno in Churchill County, 16 children were diagnosed with leukemia between 1997 and 2002. Three have died. A panel of experts, led by a doctor from the federal Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, spent two years looking for a reason. In its final report delivered this week in Fallon, the panel concluded: "The causes of childhood leukemia, including those from Churchill County, Nevada, remain unknown."

The panel studied the children themselves. It studied the water, the soils, the air and dust. It studied pipelines bringing jet fuel to the local Naval base. It looked at population changes. Nothing could be found to explain the leukemia cluster.

In April 2001 the Senate Environment and Public Works committee conducted a hearing in Fallon. Its members, including Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., ultimately concluded that monitoring of such clusters and follow-up investigations must remain top priorities. We agree. This type of commitment is the only hope for someday finding an answer.