Residents say cancer report was hurried State finds number of cases in Sayreville to be normal for N.J. BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer A state health official told Sayreville residents Monday that there is no reason to believe a cancer cluster exists in the community. Still, many remained skeptical of the report issued by the state Department of Health and Senior Services, and said it was issued too quickly and without consideration of a variety of factors. Deputy Commissioner and state epidemiologist of Public Health Services Eddy A. Bresnitz spoke on the issue Monday during a Borough Council meeting that was attended by about 75 residents. Mayor Kennedy O'Brien began the meeting by reading a letter he wrote to Bresnitz, saying that he objected to the state official's decision to issue his report during Monday's meeting because there was not sufficient time to notify residents. The Republican mayor said Bresnitz came to the meeting at the invitation of Democratic council President Thomas Pollando and did not notify his office of his desire to address the public on Monday. Bresnitz responded by saying that he did not get O'Brien's letter, which was dated July 3, the day after the meeting. The epidemiologist's investigation "lacked any semblance of substance," O'Brien said, and did not address the residents who lived in the borough for the majority of their lives and who relocated to other jurisdictions in their retirement years. "You and I have some very definite issues between us," O'Brien told Bresnitz. The physician responded by saying that politics does not play a role in the Health Department's process of investigating potential cancer clusters. Bresnitz began his PowerPoint presentation by saying there is too much cancer, not only in the borough, but in communities across the state and the country. He said the latest estimates place the number of newly diagnosed cases of cancer in the state at 45,000 per year. The state Heath Department receives between 50 and 70 calls a year from concerned residents who suspect that a perceived increase in the number of cancer cases in their communities may indicate the presence of cancer clusters. "It is a common disease, unfortunately," he said. Bresnitz said the rate of cancer in New Jersey, as well as the Northeast region, is high compared to the rest of the country. But it is a global problem. "Cancer is common around the world," Bresnitz said. The Health Department's investigation into cancer among children in Toms River, starting in 1995, validated cancer-cluster concerns in that community, Bresnitz said. However, this was not the case for Sayreville, where no significant difference was found between the number of cases of cancer and what his department expected the figures to be, he said. "Any kind of cancer is too much cancer, as far as we're concerned," Bresnitz said, adding that the lack of a cancer cluster does not mean that cancer has not had a significant impact on the community. "We expect a certain number of cancer cases in every community," he added. Cancer clusters can be found in communities where a specific type of cancer is prevalent, a rare form of cancer is found in abundance, cancer impacts employees exposed to certain toxins, or if it affects a specific age group, like in the case of Toms River. The smaller the community, the more years that the Health Department includes in its analysis to make sure that it has enough statistics to draw a conclusion, Bresnitz said. This is the reason officials looked at cancer statistics in Sayreville from 1990-2004, he said. The department compared the rates of cancer in Sayreville to the figures in the county and in the rest of the state. "Sayreville is not existing in isolation," Bresnitz said. Environmental causes are commonly attributed to cancer in communities such as the borough, which have a significant industrial history, but factors such as lifestyle choices like smoking also play a role on the number of cases of cancer found in a given community. Bresnitz offered examples to illustrate his point, saying that 90 percent of lung cancer cases are caused by smoking. Environmental impacts from secondhand smoke or asbestos account for some of the remaining cases. Colorectal cancer, which was found to be common in men in Sayreville, is often attributed to heredity, diet and other factors, Bresnitz said. The epidemiologist described the Sayreville Landfill Superfund site as a past environmental hazard, noting that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) capped the site in 1998. The landfill is located near Green Valley Way, where concerns over the possibility of a cancer cluster in town originated. Bresnitz added that while environmental exposures account for some cancer cases, they do not account for most cancers in the United States. The various sites of concern in the borough are not a risk to residents unless people trespass on the site, Bresnitz said. These sites are generally inaccessible, however. Bresnitz said it can take between 10 and 30 years or more of exposure before cancer develops in an individual. He added that the more people are exposed to toxins, the higher their risk is of developing cancer. There is no evidence that the Horseshoe Road Superfund site or contaminated fish and crabs in Raritan River have increased the risk of residents getting cancer. "We don't see here in Sayreville that there [are] increased incidents of cancers than the rest of the state," Bresnitz said. Sayreville resident Helen Brescia, who has two types of cancer, gave emotional testimony before the public Monday, saying that the Health Department has boiled the issue down to statistics and dismissed the concerns of residents. Brescia asked why the state did not send out a survey asking residents to provide information on family history related to cancer. Bresnitz responded that the standard operating protocol for these investigations across the country is to seek the information directly from sources such as physicians. "I clearly don't view people as statistics," Bresnitz said. "You may feel that way, but clearly that is not the way I think I feel." "I didn't mean to be insensitive about that," he added. Brescia raised the concern about the lack of up-to-date information, since the study only included statistics up to 2004. Bresnitz replied that this is the most current and complete data available at present, since hospitals do not have to file this information for six months. He said hospitals are fined when they do not divulge this information in a timely manner. "It takes about two years to get all of the data in from the state," Bresnitz said, adding that while 2005 is almost complete, there is still time for hospitals to report 2006 data. Cancer survivor Cheryl Hardt spoke before the public as well. The former Sayreville resident is credited with bringing the issue to the attention of public health officials after she began compiling a list of cancer cases in the area of Green Valley Way, where residents noticed a higher-than-expected number of people who developed cancer. Hardt expressed disappointment with the Health Department's report, saying that she was hoping it would investigate the matter for a period of six months to a year, not in a matter of 30 days. "I find your answer inadequate," Hardt said. After the public portion devoted to the cancer-cluster issue ended and the Borough Council went through the rest of its agenda for the meeting, council Democrats expressed disappointment with the meeting and said that the mayor did not offer them a chance to ask the epidemiologist questions. "It was pretty obvious we weren't expected to speak," Councilman Stanley Drwal said. O'Brien responded that he wanted to ensure that residents had an opportunity to address Bresnitz. Councilman Rory Zach said accusations were made that Congressman Frank Pallone, state Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski and the all-Democrat council were attempting to sweep the issue under the rug. "I resent that," Zach said. Zach described the matter as complex, adding that it did not serve the public interest for the epidemiologist to be addressed in a confrontational tone. "Mayor, you seemed a little put off that Dr. Bresnitz was here tonight," Zach said. "I am sorry you feel that way." Another meeting will be set up on a Saturday in September. Representatives from the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Health Department are expected to attend.