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A researcher from the University of Arizona recently finished testing dust surrounding Fallon in a study designed to seek out links between the presence of heavy metals and cancer.
Paul Sheppard, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona, was in Fallon Nov. 8-12 collecting dust samples from outside several residences around town. Though hampered by rains that cleanse the air and stifle dust formation, Sheppard said adequate samples were collected.
The collections sought levels of cadmium, uranium, arsenic and nickel, which Sheppard called the "standard bad boys" of heavy metals. Particular interest was paid to tungsten, a heavy metal with high local concentration but no official label as a toxin.
"With the prior interest in tungsten, we are interested in how it varies town to town," Sheppard said. "We don't really know if it causes any health issues, but tungsten could be environmentally different in Fallon."
Results from the collections will be available in two months, Sheppard said. A public forum will be held in the upcoming months with the results, along with presentations from University of Arizona colleague Mark Witten.
Though tungsten has never been defined as a carcinogen, several studies have found increased levels of tungsten in Fallon residents and area trees.
Fallon was the epicenter of a childhood leukemia cluster that sickened 16 children. Three died, but there has not been a locally diagnosed case in more than two years. Despite massive investigations by the Centers for Disease Control, Nevada Division of Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, no cause was found for the cancer cluster.
A January 2003 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 80 percent of Fallon leukemia cluster families and control subjects that were tested for heavy metals had elevated levels of tungsten in urine samples. The national average is 10 percent.
Tungsten is commonly used to reinforce steel in alloys, lightbulb filaments, X-ray and electron tubes and as a non-toxic alternative to lead shot in shotgun shells. The metal was nominated to the National Toxicology Program for additional testing in August 2002.
Josh Johnson can be contacted at jjohnson@lahontanvalleynews.com
Paul Sheppard, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona, was in Fallon Nov. 8-12 collecting dust samples from outside several residences around town. Though hampered by rains that cleanse the air and stifle dust formation, Sheppard said adequate samples were collected.
The collections sought levels of cadmium, uranium, arsenic and nickel, which Sheppard called the "standard bad boys" of heavy metals. Particular interest was paid to tungsten, a heavy metal with high local concentration but no official label as a toxin.
"With the prior interest in tungsten, we are interested in how it varies town to town," Sheppard said. "We don't really know if it causes any health issues, but tungsten could be environmentally different in Fallon."
Results from the collections will be available in two months, Sheppard said. A public forum will be held in the upcoming months with the results, along with presentations from University of Arizona colleague Mark Witten.
Though tungsten has never been defined as a carcinogen, several studies have found increased levels of tungsten in Fallon residents and area trees.
Fallon was the epicenter of a childhood leukemia cluster that sickened 16 children. Three died, but there has not been a locally diagnosed case in more than two years. Despite massive investigations by the Centers for Disease Control, Nevada Division of Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, no cause was found for the cancer cluster.
A January 2003 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 80 percent of Fallon leukemia cluster families and control subjects that were tested for heavy metals had elevated levels of tungsten in urine samples. The national average is 10 percent.
Tungsten is commonly used to reinforce steel in alloys, lightbulb filaments, X-ray and electron tubes and as a non-toxic alternative to lead shot in shotgun shells. The metal was nominated to the National Toxicology Program for additional testing in August 2002.
Josh Johnson can be contacted at jjohnson@lahontanvalleynews.com
