Solve the Fallon riddle, researchers say, and rashes of childhood leukemia cases that have inexplicably bloomed elsewhere may be better understood. But while nearby Fallon Naval Air Station logs an increasing number of worried calls from families being transferred to the base, the windswept, heavily Republican town is beleaguered and weary about the attention. The cause of childhood leukemia is unknown. Nevertheless, Smith and other experts told a state panel investigating the Fallon leukemia cluster that arsenic isn't the culprit. Some homes in Fallon and surrounding Churchill County use wells, while others are hooked up to the municipal system that is also supplied by an underground aquifer.
Many households drink bottled water to avoid the tap water's metallic taste.
Exposure to area well and municipal water also varies among the leukemia victims, who range in age from 3 to 11. Devin Norcutt, now in remission, is grouped in the outbreak because his parents once lived in town. From Children's Hospital, Hastings says research indicates leukemia is triggered by many causes. For many here, such lore debunks government warnings. The city must comply with federal arsenic standards by 2003.