Water wells, toxic organic chemicals found

Table II. Toxic Organic Chemicals Found in Drinking Water Wells (With Corresponding Surface Water Concentrations) ...

The limitations of these observations can be described in terms of the general problems associated with such toxic waste studies. The health outcome of concern (cancer, specifically childhood leukemia) is a relatively rare disease. The toxic chemical exposure of particular persons having these diseases could not be directly documented, since the organic chemicals found in well water were transient. Therefore, no means were available for linking particular leukemia cases to particular toxic substances. For the present, then, we are left with an apparent leukemia case cluster and no good evidence for associating cases with the striking environmental toxic waste problems clearly present in the town. 

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