Lead smelter in Missouri not tied to risk of MS
Submitted by hollie on Mon, 2008-03-03 08:22.
Residents in a community with an active lead smelting plant were concerned about a possible cluster of MS that might be attributable to the smelter. Local public health agencies and the CDC investigated the situation, doing an intensive search for area residents who had MS. An estimated 95% of the people with MS living in the area were found through the search. The public health officials calculated the local prevalence rate as around 1 in 1,000, similar to the rates found in comparable US and Western European regions. They concluded that no MS cluster existed in the vicinity of the smelter after all.
I see theres an increase in
I see theres an increase in the rate of ALS also in the same area. Do people that do these studies not talk to one another? I bet they can find other diseases of unknown cause if they look hard enough.
I grew up in the area around
I grew up in the area around the smelter, moved away for a while, and now live a few miles from it. I was diagnosed after the study was completed, and I wonder how many others were missed. I contacted one of the researchers to see if any follow-up is planned, and was told that they applied but were denied funding.