It is conventional wisdom in the small, rural, agricultural town where I grew up that something is causing brain cancer in the community. Most people who believe this say that it is the result of many growing season’s worth of pesticides that have seeped down into the water supply. Indeed, some people I know who still live there will only drink bottled water.
I have been skeptical of these assertions, but while I was home over the weekend I heard of two more cases of brain tumors to go on top of the dozens that I have heard about in the past. And this is just among people I know. I remain skeptical, but one does begin to wonder.
So far, only anecdotal evidence exists. To my knowledge, no formal studies have been conducted. I would like to compare the cancer rates to the national and state averages to see if there is indeed anything to this. Is there an on-line (or more conventional) resource where a layman like myself could check out the brain tumor rates of a single county? If there has been some kind of formal study conducted but not publicized, where would I go to find out about it? Does anyone know of a specific pesticide or agricultural chemical that could, if it got into the water supply, cause brain tumors? (I know that’s an awful broad question, but I thought it was worth a shot to throw it in just in case any potential responders might have knowledge in this area.) What other factors might come into play to cause such a phenomenon?