Families Against Cancer & Toxics

The Problem
Communities across the country are experiencing high rates of disease. Currently, chronic diseases like cancer, birth defects, and multiple sclerosis are responsible for seven out of ten deaths in the United States. These diseases strike over 100 million men, women and children, accounting for more than a third of the U.S. population.

Around the country—from Fallon, Nevada to Sierra Vista, Arizona to Fort LeJeune, North Carolina—communities are faced with unusually high rates of disease, or in other words, disease "clusters," and health officials are unable to determine why. Questions abound about what is causing these elevated rates. Is there something in the drinking water? Does the nearby military institution impact our health? Is the air we breathe causing us to get sick? Too often questions posed to local health officials are not answered satisfactorily or not even responded to at all.

Our Mission
The alliance of Cluster Advocates consists of patients, families, community members and other concerned individuals and organizations from around the country that have been impacted by cancer and other chronic illnesses. Together the coalition presents a unified voice to call for safer and healthier communities across the nation, by identifying ways to assist and advance the scientific study of disease clusters. We seek more research into causation and prevention, with an emphasis on how the environment impacts health, and to address the significant weaknesses that exist in the investigation of possible disease clusters.

What We Do
The alliance of Cluster Advocates seeks to prevent chronic diseases by advocating for:

1. More research on the cause of disease, particularly the role of environmental exposures on disease

2. Disease prevention

3. Modern, cutting edge practices and methodologies to investigate potential clusters

4. Better communication between health officials and impacted communities

5. Engagement of affected community members in disease investigations

Join Us
If you are concerned about the health of your family and community and would like to join your voice in advocating for stronger measures to prevent disease, please sign on to be a member of the Cluster Advocates.

Click to join clusteradvocates

Cluster Advocates alliance history
In September 2004 affected families from communities with disease clusters gathered at a conference in Sierra Vista AZ, to tell about their experiences. We agreed that our country needs to change the way we investigate clusters of disease, and agreed to form an alliance of Cluster Advocates. The conference was funded through a grant from the Trust for America's Health, and organized by Families Against Cancer & Toxics. Photos by Bob Farmer

In October 2005 members of Cluster Advocates teamed up with science advisors and other allies to launch the National Disease Clusters Alliance at our Denver Summit. Our theme was "Connecting the Dots, Uniting for Community Health." The Denver Summit was organized by Dee Lewis of the Concerned Residents Initiative and Lewis served as the first executive director of NDCA.

Article about National Disease Clusters Alliance
Activists form alliance to fight cancer clusters
Frank X. Mullen (FMULLEN@RGJ.COM) 
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
August 13, 2007.



More info:

Cancer Clusters
List of communities facing an excess of disease

History of Cancer Cluster Investigations

Cancer Cluster Controversy
Are clusters a call for action, or merely a random statistical phenomenon? Read opinions on both sides, and make up your own mind.

Do you suspect a cluster in your town?

Miltary Clusters





Disease Clusters and Hot Spots

There are many cancer clusters besides the one in Sierra Vista, AZ.

The Fallon, Nevada childhood leukemia cluster is the most severe childhood leukemia cluster known to history.
Reno Gazette Journal portal site to dozens of articles about Fallon.
Fallon families' site
CDC website on Fallon
Nevada Health Department's site
Fallon NV: Deadly Oasis documentary film

Maryvale, AZ leukemia cluster
The Pain of Maryvale
Tales of the Dark West Side

Tom's River/Ocean County, NJ childhood cancer cluster
Tom's River families' site

Woburn childhood leukemia cluster
State of Massachusett's page

Guam childhood leukemia cluster
Pacific Daily News

Childhood leukemia cluster near berry farms in Washington state
Tainted land

MICAH's Mission, childhood leukemia in Athens GA
EPA Knew

Oral Histories and Photographs of Navajo Uranium Miners & Their Families - Navajo Nation, Arizona and New Mexico

Chicagoland childhood cancers cluster
IRATE

Calvine-Florine area of Sacramento CA
Something's Wrong

Puget Sound Naval Shipyard leukemia cluster
Toxic Kitsap and Polluted Puget

Pratt & Whitney Jet Engine Factory in Connecticut, where 87 workers have been diagnosed with brain cancer since the 1960s, and 36 have died.

Norwich England Esophageal Cancer Cluster, the British military tested chemical weapons spreading by dropping cadmium, a known carcinogen, on the townspeople of Norwich.


Long Island breast cancer cluster
About.com overview

Canyon City, CO
Cotter radioactive waste dump

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group offers a 60 page report on cluster investigations.