Opinion ID: 61649
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Children’s Cancer.

Text: Ashton Lowe was born on May 3, 1988. At the age of seven, Ashton was diagnosed with medulloblastoma. From his birth until the time of his diagnosis, Ashton lived in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Ashton died of his cancer on May 21, 2001. Zachary Finestone was born on March 1, 1994. Prior to his birth, his parents lived near the Plant. Zachary lived in Port St. Lucie, Florida, from August 1995 4 through August 1998. He was diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma, which had spread to his bone marrow, at the age of six. Zachary continues battling his cancer today. Plaintiff’s expert, Dr. Hari Sharma, presented evidence in this case that the baby teeth of both Ashton Lowe and Zachary Finestone contained elevated levels of Strontium-90 (“SR-90”). SR-90 is a radioactive isotope created by nuclear fission reactions. Common sources of SR-90 include nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons testing fallout. However, routine testing of Florida’s citrus fruit shows that SR-90 has been detected in citrus fruit in St. Lucie County since before the Plant began its operations.