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Leukemia diagnosis perplexing

Family tries to link 14-year-old's condition to Wyle
By Amy Frye, Staff Writer

NORCO - When Nicole Schulz, a vibrant 14-year-old Norco High School student, was diagnosed in December with a rare type of leukemia, her family and friends started to suspect her illness was linked to Wyle Laboratories Inc., an El Segundo-based company that operated a now-closed defense, aerospace and manufacturing test site in Norco. The site is under investigation by the state for contamination.
Even though health officials say it is unlikely that any contaminants from Wyle contributed to Nicole's acute myelogenous leukemia -- and such a relation would be impossible to prove -- many are still skeptical.

Nicole's leukemia, diagnosed in late December, has stoked widespread fears in the community regarding contamination from the Wyle site.

That re-ignited activism could be seen at Thursday's Citizens Advisory Group meeting where dozens of parents pummeled experts with questions, demanding something be done to protect their children.

Attendance at these meetings was almost nonexistent in months past.

Nicole -- a cheerleader and member of the Miss Teen Norco court -- just completed 20 rounds of chemotherapy at City of Hope in Duarte this past week and will hopefully enter remission soon.

The disease occurs in the bone marrow when too many immature white blood cells are produced and not enough mature red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets are made.

Although the cause of acute myelogenous leukemia, or AML, is unknown, some environmental factors, such as exposure to benzene or radiation, are linked to the disease.

Nicole's mother, Christy Dunn, said she believes contaminants from Wyle Labs contributed to her daughter's AML.

Benzene is a cancer-causing hydrocarbon naturally found in air, water and soil, but also can be produced from burning coal and petroleum.

Wyle did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but Juan Osornio, project manager with the state's Department of Toxic Substances Control for the Wyle Labs' investigation and cleanup, said while benzene has been detected on the Wyle properties, it was in very low levels that do not pose any short- or long-term health risks.

Benzene also was found in some homes on Golden West Lane, but Dr. Bill Bosen, toxicologist for the state's toxic substances agency, said the levels found were equal to those found in outside air, and the source could have been something as harmless as someone spilling gasoline on their clothing.

"The major chemical of concern that we've seen off site has really been TCE (the solvent trichloroethylene), not benzene. If we found (benzene), it was really at low levels and sporadically," Bosen said, adding that benzene is not a Wyle-related contaminant.

Neither TCE nor vinyl chloride, another toxin recently found in low levels at the Norco High School science building, are linked to leukemia, though they are linked to other forms of cancer, Bosen said.

The toxicologist addressed these issues at this past week's Citizens Advisory Group meeting, trying to reassure dozens of concerned residents and parents who remained unconvinced that Wyle hasn't caused Nicole's -- and others' -- health problems.

Many voiced the opinion that no level of these contaminants is safe -- especially when people are living in Norco for generations or if someone has a reduced immune system.

They also pointed out that no one knows what impact the combination of these different chemicals has on the body.

A big concern for residents is that soil and dirt has been moved at the Wyle site without public notification -- potentially releasing contaminants into the air without their knowledge.

"The benzene levels are very low, and if they are released into the air it wouldn't be a concentrated amount and wouldn't travel very far," Osornio said.

Dr. David Snyder, associate director of City of Hope's hematology and hematopoietic cell transplantation division, said a brief exposure to low levels of benzene would not be enough to cause Nicole's leukemia.

"It has to be a long-term exposure to fairly high levels of benzene," Snyder said.

And even in those circumstances it can still be difficult to prove causation, he said.

"With any individual case there may be a history of exposure but to say that it caused the leukemia is very hard," Snyder said.

Dunn and others are not persuaded by these arguments, asserting that there is no safe amount of exposure.

She worries about when the family lived on Hilltop Lane and their property backed up to a ditch that collected runoff water from the Wyle site. She said some dirt hauled off the Wyle property was dumped in their back yard for landscaping.

She also wonders if Nicole was exposed to benzene in water after state findings showed the chemical in runoff water in Norco.

Bill Thompson, Norco's director of public works, said no benzene has been detected in any of the city's drinking water wells, but it was found in one state well that has not pumped in more than 12 years.

The wells in operation are tested for all chemical components once a year and for a few chemical components every week, Thompson said.

Even though Dunn admits that she doesn't know how Nicole got leukemia, she and the community have yet to be convinced that it has nothing to do with Wyle, and the thought has left an impact on their lives.

"What is so creepy about it is you just feel like there is something poison out there, and you can't see it," Dunn said.

Dunn said she may pursue legal actions against Wyle, but she hasn't had the energy to look into the matter yet.

There are other class-action lawsuits pending against Wyle.

"They need to rapidly take care of this situation before anyone else gets sick," Dunn said.

Dr. John Morgan, of the California Cancer Registry, said in an e-mail that after studying the cases of cancer in Norco there was no excess found -- even among childhood cancers and thyroid cancer, which also has been a large concern in the community.

"This number (of childhood cancers) was fewer than five during the most recent five-year time period and was in line with the number of new cases expected for a community having the size and demographic characteristics of Norco," Morgan wrote.

But a community activist who lives on Golden West Lane, Pat DuBiel, said these cancer counts are flawed because people who move out of the area are not included.

She has been keeping track of past and present Norco residents with illnesses for three years and said there are at least 350 people on the list.

DuBiel said 80 of those people have cancer, the majority being thyroid cancer. There were 12 cases of leukemia, not counting Nicole and three other recent cases.

For information about benzene, TCE or vinyl chloride please visit www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.htm

For information about the Wyle Laboratories Inc. investigation and cleanup please visit www.dtsc.ca.gov/SiteCleanup/Projects/Wyle_Laboratories.cfm

Wyle related documents also can be found at Norco City Hall, 2870 Clark Ave., and at the Corona Library, 650 S. Main St.

LEUKEMIA

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) results when the body doesn't produce enough normal red and white blood cells and platelets, but makes too many immature white blood cells.

SYMPTOMS: Feeling tired, short of breath, looking pale, bleeding and bruising easily, pin sized spots under the skin, cuts do not heal, pain in bones or joints, mild fever, many infections.

CAUSES: Mainly unknown, but AML is linked to exposures of radiation or benzene. Some chemotherapy can cause AML as a secondary leukemia.

THERAPY: Immediate chemotherapy after diagnosis. After first remission is achieved long-term treatment, such as consolidation chemotherapy or a stem cell transfer, is done to reduce chances of a relapse.

WYLE LABORATORIES

Wyle Laboratories operated a testing facility for the military, aerospace and manufacturing industries on 429 acres of land at 1841 Hillside Ave., Norco.

The Norco facility opened in the 1950s and closed in the late 1990s.

Hazardous substances were used during its operations, including chlorinated solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons, explosives, munitions residue and rocket motor fuels.

These substances have since been released to the soil and localized areas of groundwater. The main chemical of concern found during investigations is the cancer-causing industrial solvent trichloroethylene, or TCE.

From 1999 to 2003 investigation of the area was conducted by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Santa Ana Region, but the state's Department of Toxic Substances Controls took over in 2003, requiring Wyle to do testing a conduct some mitigation efforts.

The investigation has spread out from the initial testing along the boundary of the property to homes on Golden West Lane, and Norco Elementary, Norco Intermediate and Norco High schools, all on Temescal Avenue.

Low levels of contaminants were found at these locations, among others, and retesting and clean-up measures are still under way.

Testing is scheduled to begin shortly on Third Street, but many community advocates feel this process is taking far too long and would like to see the entire area east of the 15 Freeway tested.

DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES

Benzene is a known carcinogen, a colorless liquid with a sweet odor that comes from both natural and industrial sources. Today it is made mostly from petroleum, but it was used to make other chemicals found in plastics and synthetic fibers. It also is used to manufacture rubbers, lubricants, dyes, detergents, drugs and pesticides. Benzene can pass between air, water and soil, but breaks down in the air in a few days. Main sources of exposure are tobacco smoke, gas stations, automobile exhaust and industrial emissions. Benzene causes problems in the blood and bone marrow and has been linked to acute myelogenous leukemia.

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is an industrial solvent used to remove grease from metal parts and is not found naturally in the environment. It can contaminate air, water and soil and has been linked to liver, kidney and lung cancer when high exposure occurs.

Vinyl chloride is a known carcinogen and a manufactured substance that does not occur naturally. It is a breakdown product of TCE. It is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is found in many plastic products. It can contaminate water, soil and air and is linked to liver, brain and lung cancer as well as some cancers of the blood in workers who have been exposed to it for long periods of time.

Amy Frye can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at (909) 483-9347.

Expert: No link to leukemia seen

NORCO: There's no evidence to connect three ill students and chemicals found at Wyle Labs, he says.

By PAIGE AUSTIN / The Press-Enterprise

NORCO - January 20, 2006 - About 30 residents, mostly parents of students at Norco schools, gathered Thursday to try to understand why three teenagers at Norco High School are battling leukemia and if the illnesses are linked to contamination at nearby Wyle Labs.

A boy and two girls have been diagnosed with leukemia, sparking concerns that cancer-causing contaminants in the ground and water around Wyle could be to blame.

However, Dr. William Bosan, toxicologist with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, assured the residents that there is no evidence linking the Wyle pollution to leukemia.

Several tests have found trace levels of industrial solvents in the ground around Norco High and in some of the classrooms at Norco High, Intermediate and Elementary schools. The only finding to raise concerns among state officials came from the high school science building where cancer-causing vinyl chloride was found in the air inside some classrooms. Vinyl chloride is a breakdown product of the main contaminant from Wyle, a former hazardous-testing facility across the street from the high school.

"These levels that we've found do not pose a risk assuming students were exposed to the highest concentration we detected for four years of high school," said Bosan. "We don't see any increased risk of developing cancer (for students). We see a slight increased risk for teachers."

Benzene, a chemical linked to leukemia, has not been found at significant levels around Wyle, he said.

The assurances gave little comfort to parents in the audience, many of whom asked if they should withdraw their children from local schools.

"You have healthy kids who are getting sick," said parent Lisa Wicketts. "I want to know if I leave my daughter, who has a genetic disorder, in the schools, what's going to happen to her 15 years down the line. One child is too many to be sick. That science building needs to be closed down."

However, the levels of contamination are so low, they don't pose an immediate health risk to force closure, Bosan said.

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