New Photos: Leroy, NY, Toxic Spill Site

National Groups Getting Involved In LeRoy Cluster Case

LeRoy, New York, is the location of a mysterious cluster illness at the Junior Senior High School.  Fifteen students have exhibited varying degrees of involuntary twitches and verbal outbursts not unlike those associated with Tourette's syndrome.  I have seen these students on the news here locally.  Absolutely NO mention has been made until yesterday (at least I have not heard about it) of the five natural gas wells owned by the LeRoy school district and ring the school building which opened in 2003.  These wells have been hydrofracked and are active wells.  Why hasn't the presence of these wells been part of the investigation to discover what is causing the illness of these young people?  In addition, there was a major train derailment there on December 6, 1970, within three miles of what is now the school site.  There are still rumors that the school is built on land that was used 42 years ago as a dump site for the contaminated soil. Thirty thousand gallons  of the solvent trichloroethylene and also one ton of cyanide crystals were spilled in this accident.  Was the school built on a toxic waste dump?  [Note: The area where the toxic spill occurred is designated as the Lehigh Valley Railroad Derailment Superfund Site.]

Read more here...

Here is the MSDS for trichloroethylene.

There has not been adequate testing at the school  It is way too soon to make any judgements as to the cause of the illness.  Erin Brockovich, known for her legal research on a huge California water contamination case many years ago, has said,

While we don't have the answers, we are suspicious that the all-clear has been sounded on the environmental side, and we don't believe that it should have been.

A long time ago Ms. Brockovich uncovered the fact that Pacific Gas and Electric had been poisoning the water of Hinkley for over 30 years.  Her story was made into a movie starring Julia Roberts.

Here is a must read article about Erin Brockovich's investigation of the rare illness in LeRoy, New York. She already has a prime suspect.

Before There Was Erin, There Was Wilma

Wilma Subra, chemist and environmentalist

Can a 66-year-old grandmother from Louisiana have any impact on the big issues plaguing communities suffering from  the chemical effects of industry?  The answer is yes, if you are talking about Wilma Subra. She is fearless (was the presumed target of a drive-by shooting- the bullet lodged in a brick a few feet from where she was sitting) and tireless (she travels all over the country to talk with people worried about pollution).  Even people who disagree with everything she stands for often come to her when their loved ones fall ill.  They want to know what the prospects are, what might have caused the illness.  Suddenly the issue of chemical contamination becomes personal.  Subra is ready to help.  She carries about 30 active cases at a time.  Some take years to be settled.  She never gives up.  Asked if she is like a modern-day Erin Brockovich, she laughs.  "I've been doing this since way before Erin was doing it."

Read this inspiring article about Wilma Subra here.