Packet News
Child cancer 'cluster' investigation petition is launched
8:50am Friday 27th January 2012
A new petition has been launched calling for a fresh investigation into the cause of a “cluster” of bone cancers and brain tumours that affected a group of Helston Community College pupils.
Residents’ fears were initially aroused after reports in 2003 that up to six young adults in the town had contracted a form of bone cancer between 1998 and 2002.
But an investigation carried out by the South West Cancer Intelligence Service found there were fewer cases than originally thought and that it was “highly unlikely” that there was a common environmental link.
Now Tom Russell, himself a cancer sufferer who is in remission, has teamed up with fellow manager at Falmouth-based R A Design, Chris Strike and Angie Lake from Helston Football Club to launch the new petition.
Angie said: “We have recently found out that there’s another young girl, about 16 years old, who has been diagnosed and we were sitting around talking and we just wanted to start the ball rolling again.
“We just want to start raising awareness, we don’t want to lay blame but there must be an underlying reason to all this happening to these young kids.
“As a community and for your family and friends, it’s frightening to think that at any time this could happen to them. Surely everybody would want to be a part of stopping that.”
Read the full story in this week's Packet - and for anyone wanting to sign the petition, visit http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/whats-the-real-cause/