Letter of the Day (March 31): Cancer

Updated: March 30, 2012 - 6:44 PM

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Concern about community cancer rates is not unique to Fridley ("Fridley's cancer cluster draws celebrity crusader," March 28).

Clean Water Action staff members knock on thousands of doors each year talking to Minnesotans about environmental issues. We increasingly encounter residents who wonder if the landfill or industry in their community is contributing to their own or a neighbor's cancer.

Given what we know about the release of chemicals into our water, this is a valid concern. In 2010, more than 1 million pounds of chemicals were released into Minnesota's waters, including cancer-causing chemicals and chemicals toxic to reproduction and development.

Those are just the chemicals we know about. Only by changing our approach to chemicals can we prevent the entire nation from becoming a cancer cluster.

DEANNA WHITE, MINNEAPOLIS

The writer is state director for Clean Water Action.

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The Opinion section is produced by the Editorial Department to foster discussion about key issues. The Editorial Board represents the institutional voice of the Star Tribune and operates independently of the newsroom.
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