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Politics

State Cancer Study Shows No Cluster In Carlsbad

State Cancer Study Shows No Cluster In Carlsbad
State health officials say a preliminary check shows that people who live in Carlsbad are not getting cancer at higher rates than the general population.

State health officials say a preliminary check shows that people who live in Carlsbad are not getting cancer at higher rates than the general population.

The California Cancer Registry says there were no elevated rates of cancers among residents in Carlsbad. The registry did find higher rates of cancer among adult women but no unusual numbers of rare cancer.

The state analyzed 8,000 cancer cases between 1996 and 2008 based on census tracts. State health officials say they will continue to track cancer statistics from Carlsbad.

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The review is the third time in three years that state health officials found no higher incidence of cancer among people living in Carlsbad.

Department of Public Health spokesman Ken August says cancer is much more common than people realize. The department's latest review did little to alleviate concerns among parents of cancer patients. They say they will continue to push for soil testing at Kelly Elementary School where several teachers and one-time students have developed cancer over the last decade.

State researchers say they could not verify half of the 323 cases near the campus that parents had reported.

KPBS has created a public safety coverage policy to guide decisions on what stories we prioritize, as well as whose narratives we need to include to tell complete stories that best serve our audiences. This policy was shaped through months of training with the Poynter Institute and feedback from the community. You can read the full policy here.