Cancer and Environment: Searching for Answers
This week, the Environment Report is taking an in-depth look at the connections between cancer and the environment. When somebody gets cancer, one of the first questions is usually "why?" Does this kind of cancer run in my family? Was it something in the water, or in the air around me? Did I get exposed to something? What would you do, or where would you go to answer these questions?
We'll explore how much we really know about the connections between cancer and the chemicals in our environment.
We'll also meet both regular people and scientists trying to figure out if certain towns around Michigan are struggling with more cancer cases than other places because of current or past pollution.
You'll hear about whether or not turning to the courts makes sense when it seems a company might to be blame for putting people at risk of cancer or other illnesses.
Finally, we'll look at where we go from here. What do researchers know, and where are they looking next?
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Monday: Our Murky Understanding of Cancer & Chemicals (Part 1)
, After Corinna Borden was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma she wondered if there was something in her environment that contributed to her cancer. |
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Tuesday: Mapping Cancer Cases in a Small Town (Part 2)
Sometimes a whole community or town can be affected by cancer. Sarah Alvarez visits one town in Michigan where people are looking for a link between cancer and the environment. |
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Investigating Rare Childhood Cancer Cluster (Part 3)
The state of Michigan recently confirmed a cancer cluster in St. Clair County. At least eight young children have been diagnosed with a rare kidney cancer. We’ll hear why it’ll be difficult to pinpoint an exact cause. |
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Thursday: Suing over Cancer (Part 4)
Some people turn to the courts because they think pollution has made them sick, and they think they know who’s to blame. But the courts aren’t always the best place to turn with these kinds of cases. |
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Friday: The Roadblocks to Cancer Prevention (Part 5)
Pink Ribbons, yellow "Livestrong" bracelets, 5K runs and walks – there are all kinds of events aimed at supporting people diagnosed with cancer. But what about preventing the disease in the first place? In the final part of our series on cancer and the environment, we take a look at cancer prevention research, and what we know about avoiding cancer before it starts. |