Published in the Asbury Park Press
Your Views
I was shocked to read in the last several days that Dover Mayor Ray Fox was not aware that there is a "cancer cluster" in Toms River.
As the parent of a child diagnosed with childhood cancer, I take offense to his remarks. It is insulting to every family in Toms River who has a child with cancer.
The state has said since 1995 that Toms River has one of the statistically highest rates of cancer in the state and the nation, thus making it a "cancer cluster." So where has the mayor been during this time? How many other major problems in this community is he not aware of?
Maybe Fox should start attending the meetings of the Citizen Action Committee on Childhood Cancer Cluster held every month on the Toms River cancer cluster. These meetings have been taking place for years now, and representatives of the Township Committee attend them. Don't they report back to the mayor? They are held in the Dover Township municipal building.
Many officials, like the mayor and others do not want to acknowledge the cancer cluster for fear of hurting the town's public image. But they are hurting are the children and families, especially the children being diagnosed with cancer. It is about time officials took this seriously. Local and state officials have failed to protect the citizens in Dover Township since the 1960's from environmental contamination of our community.
The mayor and anyone else interested in learning more about the Toms River cancer cluster, the investigations of it and updates on the contamination remediation of the Ciba Geigy site can read all the information we provide on the T.E.A.C.H. web site, www-tr-teach.org.
Bruce Anderson
Toms River
Source: Asbury Park Press
Published: November 8, 1999
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