May 8, 2002

The Union County Health Department has been tracking cases of leukemia among young people, less than 25 years of age, in Marysville since 1997. The Ohio Department of Health and Columbus Children’s Hospital are assisting in this tracking and case review process. Additional cases diagnosed in the years 2000 through 2002 are being added to the ongoing review.

Health Commissioner Anne Davy explained “efforts at the local level are focused on providing confidential interviews with effected families as part of the case review. This assessment is being conducted with the utmost respect for families effected by this disease and in such a way as to maintain their confidentiality”, said Davy.

“We are committed to bringing in additional resources such as epidemiologists, researchers and professors to assist in the analysis. It is still not clear whether cases we’ve seen would be expected given the rapid growth in Marysville’s population. At this point there is no recognizable pattern among cases. Our investigation is ongoing and we intend to keep the public informed on a regular basis”.

While causes of most leukemias are unknown, genetic conditions, exposure to the Human T Cell Leukemia Virus, prolonged exposure to benzene, a known component of tobacco smoke and gasoline but also in other sources, and radiation are some of the known risk factors being considered in the review. For comment or questions call 1-888-333-9461 Ext 24 or 1-937-642-0801 Ext 24.