State officials will release initial results Monday on whether there's an unusually high number of cancer cases in Carlsbad. But parents of cancer patients say those results are unlikely to produce any real answers.
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The state focused its analysis on all cancer cases in Carlsbad. But some in the community say the state's review is not sufficiently targeted. Residents say there have been more than 400 cancer cases within a three-mile radius over the last decade.
Carlsbad resident Travis Burleson, whose daughter has cancer, says the state's method of including all of Carlsbad in its study will dilute the number of cases to the national average.
"The cancer registry is really made for a much bigger look at things," Burleson said. "It's not designed for a nearby look the way soil testing is."
Burleson wants the soil, air and water tested for toxins at Kelly Elementary School where residents say 18 one-time students and several teachers have developed cancer. But Carlsbad school district officials say they won't perform the tests unless the state's review shows the cancer rates are abnormal.
