ALS -
[Cached Version]
Published on: 1/27/2001
Last Visited: 6/9/2004
Dr. Robert Feldman, a professor of neurology at the Boston University School of Medicine, has worked for almost two decades on a puzzling cluster of ALS cases in Middleborough, Mass. Over the last 30 years, residents say the disease has killed as many as 24 people who lived within a six-block radius - a striking number for a town of 22,000.
Suspicion surrounds two local companies whose past dumping practices are under investigation by several groups, including the Environmental Protection Agency.Some residents believe a metal plating firm and a chemical company are to blame for ALS cases there.
Feldman acknowledged the Massachusetts cluster holds some parallels to the Kelly situation.But he cautioned that even after years of research, he has not found enough evidence to show that the number of ALS cases in Middleborough is statistically significant.
"I wouldn't say it's significant, but it's definitely a trend of concern," he said, noting he plans to expand his study because the suspected tally of cases has risen from 11 to 24 since his work was published.
Feldman said he suspects his hypothesis about the possible cause of the Middleborough cluster also could apply to the Kelly AFB cases.It centers on genotoxicity, the theory that exposure to certain environmental toxins - such as pesticides or heavy metals - can damage the DNA, or genetic sequences, of susceptible individuals.
The damage can result in a genetic mutation that alters the ability of enzymes to break down chemicals, contributing to the death of nerve cells, said Feldman, who directs Boston University's Environmental and Occupational Neurology Program.