The Clyde cancer cluster was a

childhood A child () is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking ...

cancer cluster A cancer cluster is a disease cluster in which a high number of cancer cases occurs in a group of people in a particular geographic area over a limited period of time. Historical examples of work-related cancer clusters are well documented in th ...

located in and around Clyde,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, United States. The cluster was classified by the

Ohio Department of Health The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is the administrative department of the Ohio state government responsible for coordinating activities for child and family health services, children with medical handicaps, early intervention services, nutritio ...

in 2009. In an 11-year interval, ten childhood cancers were documented in an area where 5.3 were expected, and four pediatric brain and central nervous system cancers were reported, in an area where 0.92 were expected. According to the ODH, the odds of this happening without a common cause are less than 1 in 20. No known commonality exists between the cases, and despite years of investigation no cause has been found. After the

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) is the administrative department of the Ohio state government Ohio Rev. Code § 121.01 ''et seq.'' responsible for protecting the environment and public health by ensuring compliance with envir ...

carried out soil tests in the

Whirlpool Corporation Whirlpool Corporation is an American multinational corporation, multinational manufacturer and marketer of home appliances headquartered in Benton Charter Township, Michigan, United States. In 2023, the Fortune 500 company had an annual revenue ...

's former corporate park, Whirlpool Park, in Green Springs, Ohio, it was apparent that soil on the property contained

polychlorinated biphenyl Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are organochlorine compounds with the formula Carbon, C12Hydrogen, H10−''x''Chloride, Cl''x''; they were once widely used in the manufacture of carbonless copy paper, as heat transfer fluids, and as dielectri ...

s. Whirlpool Corporation faced two lawsuits, perhaps the most notable one being ''Brown v. Whirlpool Corporation'', of which the main plaintiff was Wendy Brown, as the park is perhaps the most well known suspected cause of the cluster. This lawsuit was dismissed in 2014, and the other, ''Sandusky County v. Whirlpool Corporation'', was withdrawn in 2015. In January 2016, the EPA reported that Whirlpool Park had been cleared of PCB contamination.

Early investigation

In 2006, the

recognized that the incidence of child cancer cases in the Clyde area was abnormally high, and in 2007, the

started investigating possible causes. Many community members became angry because of what they perceived as little progress made by the agency throughout this series of investigations. The lack of possible causes found during the early investigations of the cluster was a source of continuing worry for the affected community. In December 2009, at a meeting with affected families, the Department of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency distributed a

map A map is a symbolic depiction of interrelationships, commonly spatial, between things within a space. A map may be annotated with text and graphics. Like any graphic, a map may be fixed to paper or other durable media, or may be displayed on ...

of the area pinpointing the locations of the homes of children who had cancer.

Whirlpool Corporation investigation

In late 2011 and early 2012, over a period of several months, the Environmental Protection Agency tested soil in several different parts of Clyde and surrounding areas. In late July 2012, investigators found

s, which is a probable human carcinogen, in the soil of the property that was formerly known as Whirlpool Park, a recreational park that was owned by the

until the park was shut down in 2008. This park, located near

Green Springs, Ohio Green Springs is a village in Sandusky and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 1,233 at the 2020 census. History The Green Springs area was originally inhabited by the Kaskaskia and Miami Nation. On September 29, ...

, consisted of a pool, children's playing equipment, and a basketball court, and the property was apparently used as a dumping ground for this toxic waste. The agency investigated Clyde's Whirlpool plant further, and found no other Whirlpool facilities in Clyde containing any illegal chemical substances. On March 28, 2013, a $750 million

class action A class action is a form of lawsuit. Class Action may also refer to: * ''Class Action'' (film), 1991, starring Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio * Class Action (band), a garage house band * "Class Action" (''Teenage Robot''), a 2002 e ...

lawsuit A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today ...

was filed against Whirlpool, other companies suspected of also dumping toxic waste at the park, and the family who currently owns the property that was formerly Whirlpool Park. This lawsuit, ''Wendy Brown, et al. v. Whirlpool Corporation'',Case No. 3:13CV1092: Wendy Brown, et al. v. Whirlpool Corporation
/ref> consisted of 27 plaintiffs, including both Wendy and Warren Brown. The amount sought was for the expenses of cleaning the houses containing

benzaldehyde Benzaldehyde (C6H5CHO) is an organic compound consisting of a benzene ring with a formyl substituent. It is among the simplest aromatic aldehydes and one of the most industrially useful. It is a colorless liquid with a characteristic almond-li ...

and for cleaning the park, as well as the damage the cluster caused altogether.May 15, 2013, Vanessa McCray
"27 plaintiffs sue Whirlpool over Clyde cancer cluster"
'' The Blade'' The lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice, at the plaintiffs' request, in early 2015 with no reason given. Whirlpool promised to rid the property of all toxic waste in August 2015.

Community Actions

Throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s, many citizens of Clyde, and of Ohio in general, held fundraisers, gave donations, and helped maintain memories of those who died in the cluster. Several documentaries by citizens of Clyde were created that centered around personal experiences with cancer and the effects it had on the Clyde community. In 2015, the president of the City of Clyde Landscape Committee, Bev Henson, formed a private committee to work on the Clyde Children's Memorial. It is a marble memorial with the names of the victims engraved on the top of seven pedestral marble, arranged in a circle around a lower center stone inscribed with the phrase "Remember Our Children". The memorial was unveiled to the public in 2017. It is set across from the

gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or Gun turret, turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden, or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. In British English, the word is also used for a tent-like can ...

and along the bike trail west of maple street.

References

{{Medicine

External links

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Eastern Sandusky County Environmental Investigation

Wendy Brown et al. v. Whirlpool Corporation

US EPA Eastern Sandusky County Assessment Project

Childhood Cancer in Eastern Sandusky County, 1996-2010: A Profile of 21 Cases
Accidental deaths in Ohio Cancer clusters

2009 in Ohio

Early investigation

Whirlpool Corporation investigation

Community Actions

See also

References

External links