Why would 4 women out of my college dorm floor of 36 have developed cancer by the age of 32?
I lived in a college freshman dorm in 1995 and there were 36 girls on my floor (about 6 floors in the whole building). I have lost touch with most of them, but of those that I still keep in contact with, 4 have developed cancer. I am wondering if this qualifies as out of the ordinary, because it seems so to me! I have started wondering if there was some kind of hazardous material we were all exposed to in the dorm. The very next year the school demolished the building and rebuilt it, to modernize it. If it contained lead paint or asbestos, could either of these have contributed to the cancers? One woman developed brain tumors at age 22 and died at age 31. Another developed breast cancer at age 29 and she also died at age 31. The third developed eye cancer this year at age 32, lost that eye, and is stable. And the last one developed Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma this year at age 32, had chemo and radiation, and is stable. This is a grim list I know. Is it possible that this is just coincidence? It seems so unlikely for such a small group of young adults to have 4 severe cancers (that I know of). Any ideas why?
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
5 comments
Skylark ~ is in Paris on May 22, 2010 at 12:14 pm
When I was younger I remember a lot of local chatter about Erin Brockovich (the real-life woman the movie was based upon) considering a law suit against Beverly Hills High School because of an oil well on campus that was believed to have possibly contributed to the unusual number of young alumni with thyroid, Non-Hodgkin’s and Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and there have been other situations where an increased risk of cancer was linked to a specific area. In the case of BHHS it was ruled that the effects of the oil well wouldn’t have been that significant, and that a more likely cause was the lack of exposure to germs and bacteria that children from less affluent homes usually encounter in their preschool years when the immune system is being sharpened. It may seem odd, but environments that are too sterile can lead to health problems, and lymphomas often occur in people from wealthier families. It’s extraordinarily rare for young women to have breast or eye cancer, though. Lead paint can increase your risk of cancer, but it may still be a long-shot.
I don’t know what to say about your situation, except to encourage you to keep exploring the matter. I watched a short news clip a couple of years ago about how there was an exceptionally high number of women in Long Island, NY with breast cancer, and they were doing all sorts of research. Perhaps you could post something on your school’s Facebook wall and ask if any other alumni have cancer?
Good luck to you and your friends.
~ Peace
giftfromgod on May 22, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Cripes! look up some past students and see if more former students got cancer too! And get yourself screened as well. If something is going on, you should band together and sue the crap out of the school.
iceman on May 22, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Wow, that is some coincidence for sure. Espeically considering those how young they are.
The odds of something like that happening in a random sample would be in the 10 million to 1 range. Eye cancer is extremely rare. Non hodgkins is very rare among women that age, and brain tumors are also very rare. As far as breast, that is more commen, although still rare at age 29.
Honestly, I might considered checking into it. Those are astronomical odds. Although my gut would just tell me its an extreme coincidence, you never know.
Angela on May 22, 2010 at 12:14 pm
I think you have a very good point it seems ironic that all those woman from the same dorm should experience cancer in one form or another.Maybe they have been exposed to chemicals of some sort that has started it off.
Denisedds on May 22, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Cancer in this age group is not very common, but lead paint or asbestos would not do it. If this is the only thing all these women had in common you may be on to something. You could try signing up on classmates.com and see if you can find more information from previous classes. Of all cancers combined about 7% occur in this age group. None of the cancers you mentioned have anything in common. Although there really is no such thing as eye cancer, but there are several cancers that can occur in the eye, including lymphoma. So you should be precise about what kind of cancer anyone actually has. Lymphoma can also occur in the brain and breast. However, it is rare for it to occur in any of these locations.