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22 January 2024
WOONSOCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — An investigation is underway after a Rhode Island man said he discovered many of his former classmates have died from cancer.
Paul LeBon graduated from Woonsocket High School in 1973. He said he realized 18 of his former classmates died from cancer while trying to plan their 30-year reunion back in 2003.
He was shocked to learn that number increased when he began preparing for their 50-year reunion.
“We had our 50th reunion in June and over 50 members of our class died,” he explained to Nexstar’s WPRI. “Other classes have similar numbers. We have all lived in areas around the city, so was it the mills? Was it something in the water?”
(Courtesy: Paul LeBon)
LeBon was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a few years ago and said he’s successfully managed those symptoms so far. But LeBon received another diagnosis last month that he said will haunt him for years to come.
“My doctor told me he had suspected that I had two strains of cancer,” LeBon said. “Well, that just hit me right between the eyes.”
“I am so proud that I was able to outlive Alzheimer’s and get treated and treat myself well,” he continued. “But it’s a feeling of guilt that I should have been gone five or six years ago. These people should still be here.”
LeBon said he reached out to the Rhode Island Department of Health for answers. The agency is now looking into LeBon’s claims.
“When we get questions about cancer rates in a specific community, we have a program called our comprehensive cancer control program,” RIDOH’s Joseph Wendelken said. “It follows a specific procedure that looks into the data and tries to be responsive to the questions we’ve received.”
Wendelken said that process could take months depending on the complexity of the investigation.
“It involves a careful review of scientific literature, medical literature, any environmental health information that we are able to gather, and an analysis of our Rhode Island cancer registry,” he said.
LeBon tells WPRI he is not losing hope in his search for answers.
“A lot of people have been buried,” he said. ” But there is still generations coming up, so whatever is here and whatever has been here — if it’s still here, I certainly hope they can find it and resolve it.”
The types of cancers LeBon and his classmates were diagnosed with weren’t immediately available.
A similar situation came to light in New Jersey in 2022.
More than 100 cases of brain tumors were reportedly diagnosed in teachers, staff, and graduates of Colonia High School in Woodbridge. Samples of dust, soil, and caulk secretly collected from the school revealed elevated levels of polychlorinated biphenyl or PCBs, a known cause of cancer, as well as chlordane and heptachlor, suspected carcinogens, Nexstar’s NewsNation reported in October 2022.
Indoor air samples of the school found PCB levels below federal health-based guidelines, My Central Jersey reported in March 2023.