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Article: Cottonwood clues in Fallon: tree rings reflect tungsten, cobalt exposure.(Science Selections)(Clinical report)
- Article from:
- Environmental Health Perspectives
- Article date:
- May 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The cause of a childhood leukemia cluster in Fallon, Nevada (population 8,000) has mystified investigators since it was first discovered in 2000. Sixteen children have been diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia and one with acute myelocytic leukemia. Because known risk factors such as ionizing radiation and prenatal exposure to volatile organic compounds do not explain most acute lymphocytic leukemia cases, researchers suspect other environmental exposures in Fallon. Now a tree ring study reveals elevated environmental tungsten and cobalt levels in Fallon compared to other towns in the area in the years just prior to the onset of the cluster [EHP 115:715-719; Sheppard ...