So far, nobody has found any evidence that an environmental study was done before school construction began in 1977. Every way we looked at it, we just felt it was an opportunity to get a brand-new school with a lot of the facilities we needed. If we had any indication that there was any contamination, we certainly would not have gone ahead with it. Local residents understand the decision. But all of the money that benefits the community doesn't count for one kid who contracts something.
Nobody knows if the cancer cases are connected to the school.
More troubling, health officials say, the cause of the illnesses may never be known because it is nearly impossible to precisely trace the cause of a cancer. Cancer cells form in the human body regularly. But most bodies attack, kill and eliminate the unwanted cells silently and swiftly. The reasons that some bodies become unwilling hosts to cancer are not fully understood, but the primary factors appear to be poor diet, smoking and a genetic predisposition for the disease. Toxic exposure is very rarely blamed for cancer, in part because it is nearly impossible to prove beyond a scientific doubt.