What is it with Long Island and Cancer? (Huntington, Riverhead: home, organic)

[nancy thereader]

I was teaching in lower Brooklyn on that terrible day. We could see the fires and the smoke from the third floor of our school. When I took the train back to Babylon, there were hundreds of people covered with ashes who had streamed across the Brooklyn Bridge to get home (there were no train schedules; it was like the fall of Hanoi) .
No one spoke. There was nothing to say.
It was amazing to me that they did not even bother to close the schools and that small children were sent out while the toxins and soot were still permeating the air .
People's photos were tacked up all over the city : "Have you seen this person?"

Everywhere the haunting sounds of bagpipes were being played by the local firehouses. No one who is not from New York could ever understand what happened which is why September 11th is almost forgotten now by most of the country .

[S.I.B.]

what is it with Long Island and people who think the issues, problems, and experiences they face are unique to this particular area?

[djdairyp]

Here is some data

1) Measure of high percentage of exposure of population to poor air quality (number of days of poor air quality exposure times number of people in that area)
Pollution Locator: Smog and Particulates: Rank States by Health Risks
1. CALIFORNIA ......... 6,683,168,463
2. TEXAS ............... 1,135,690,880
3. ARIZONA ............ 172,843,464
4. OHIO ................. 104,835,921
5. ILLINOIS ............. 98,113,026
6. PENNSYLVANIA ...... 95,863,748
7. MICHIGAN ............. 95,400,215
8. NEW YORK ............ 82,756,858
9. NEVADA ............... 58,854,115
10. CONNECTICUT ...... 54,662,367
11. NEW JERSEY ........ 42,277,536
12. MISSOURI ............. 39,849,003
13. NORTH CAROLINA .... 36,179,857
14. INDIANA ............... 33,920,402
15. MARYLAND ............ 30,585,524
.....
43. MINNESOTA ................ 420,687
44. NEW HAMPSHIRE ......... 394,663
45. IDAHO ........................ 151,508
46. SOUTH DAKOTA ............ 91,881
47. IOWA ......................... 7,777


2) Added cancer risk due to air pollutents (the numbers below are risk per million. the clean air act goal is a 1 in 1 million risk factor so the number for NY is 1900 x larger than the goal)
1. NEW YORK .................... 1900
2. NEW JERSEY .................. 1400
3. DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ... 1100
4. CALIFORNIA .................... 890
5. MASSACHUSETTS ............ 890
6. MARYLAND ..................... 870
7. DELAWARE ..................... 860
8. PENNSYLVANIA ............... 860
9. CONNECTICUT ................ 850
10. ILLINOIS ...................... 800
11. OHIO .......................... 730
12. INDIANA ...................... 720
13. RHODE ISLAND ............... 670
14. MINNESOTA ................. 660
15. GEORGIA ..................... 650
...
45. NEW MEXICO .................. 230
46. NORTH DAKOTA ............... 200
47. SOUTH DAKOTA ............... 190
48. MONTANA ....................... 180
49. WYOMING ...................... 140

3) Table of state cancer rates per 100,000 (attached)
Cancer – United States Cancer Statistics (USCS) Data – 2005 Selected Cancers Ranked by State (http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/uscs/Table.aspx?Group=4fb&Year=2005&Display=n - broken link)

===
What is surprising is CA is low on the state cancer rate percentages, and NY is lower down as well. Of course these are for the whole state. Regionally the cities are probably much worse. When looking at the first links I provided sorted by county, many NY counties including nassau are rated in the top 25 for added cancer risk due to air quality.

[Jdawg8181]

Is bottled water any cleaner than tap? -- Newsday.com (http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-hs-water0709,0,280476.story - broken link)

[Crookhaven]

//www.city-data.com/forum/long-...ancer-but.html
xref

[Johninwestbury]

Originally Posted by Rachael84

I was in Smithtown and could smell that too the day following 9/11. I had a terrible headache at school the next 2 days from the awful smell.

Smelled it in Nassau county as well. I got sick after 9/11 with a bad virus too, maybe it wasn't a virus?

[Johninwestbury]

The air quality is another serious issue. Air pollution has gotten very bad. I remember when I was younger seeing deep blue skies more often, but now its getting rarer. It seems its hazy alot more. When I go to the beach you can see all the haze inland. While its true we are downwind of NYC, alot of the pollution is generated here on LI from all the traffic.
We really need tougher emmisions standards. Everyday I see trucks spewing out clouds of smoke, and wonder how that can even be permitted. And there's another factor. Stress. Because of the traffic, poor planning, and crowding we get stressed out more. And stress can cause cancer as well.

[Crookhaven]

No coincidence that the higes areas are right by the LIPA stacks

[sickofnyc99]

lets not forget genetic factors. My employer was looking to open an IR dept in Commack. Follow the money, where there's cancer that where they are. they also have outposts in westchester and jersey. I see certain areas with some frequency, massapequa for one also Toms River in Jersey, lot's of people from there.

[Jdawg8181]

Originally Posted by sickofnyc99

lets not forget genetic factors. My employer was looking to open an IR dept in Commack. Follow the money, where there's cancer that where they are. they also have outposts in westchester and jersey. I see certain areas with some frequency, massapequa for one also Toms River in Jersey, lot's of people from there.

not even that...moreso, lifestyle. People who smoke & drink frequently are more at risk for certain types of cancers than those who don't.