I think it's a long time coming for them to look into this in the Millinocket area as well. Thank You.

I wonder what it will show for the mill towns like stinkin' Lincoln. That smell has got to have caused something. But that has changed so it probably won't show anything. And of course if the paper companies help fund this, you know it will skew the statistics.

You must look not only at the infrastructure of Maine's industrial and natural resources to determine that cancer strikes highest in these affected areas, but the flowing fallout of airborne pollutants from some of the industries in the state, underground water-tables, and heavy industrial and social pollution drifting all the way across from China into the US mainland, across the country and with the wind movement; up the Atlantic Coast right over Maine. Most pollutants from industry and transportation in the US, especially on the eastern part of the US, east of the Mississippi, the flow of pollutants hooks up with all the rest on those easterly-moving winds, and ends up over Maine. This is the way it has always been.

Everyone in Maine knows of the heavy pollutant dumping ground, Maine's paper mills and other industries, including riverside cities and residential areas, over the years, have created great cancer-causing, (and other related serious diseases) concerns. Hope the study briongs forth realistic results everyone can understand. Now it is up to the governments; state and federal to curtail the causes.

Yes, Maine seems to be the repository of a lot of the pollutants that flow and fly easterly, plus the dumping of pollutants from mills,etc into the rivers and it is not a good scene. Glad this very detailed and extensive study is being done and hope the results will be put to use in doing something about this very serious and troubling rate of cancer in Maine.

What is the correlation between maines poor, uneducated population and cigarette induced lung cancer? IHaving ignored this article, I'm guessing the poorer, uneducated areas are at much greater risk. Washington Cty, Oxford Cty, Aroostook???

Bangorian, I have been reading a lot of stories online the last few days while incapacitated and I have noticed you have a lot of comments. Whille I believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion, I wonder how you come to formulate your opinions? Do you have a far superior education than most Mainers, especially those people of Washington County, Oxford County, Aroostook, etc? I doubt it. Take it from someone in Washington County and educated in Washington County that your grammar and writing abilities are poor. The best way to have someone take you seriously, is to take pride in what you write. Write for quality ,write with empathy, and have facts to support your thesis. Otherwise, you are as ignorant as those you potray.

portray...sorry typo.

There is a high rate of people who smoke in this state, so that is a possible factor. Also, the Maine obesity rates are the highest in New England. It is no secret that obesity leads to all kinds of health issues and diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancers.

Everyone needs to get their home tested for radon.

It's in your water and in your basement.

It's a carcinogen.

Check it out.

So many great comments here, but without the UM facilitators of this study giving details on what this study encompasses, the reading, comprehending public is still in the dark.

They say, "You are what you eat". So, I guess if I love carrots...I turn into one? Really, though, it has been determined that hot dogs and most processed meats cause cancer. I remember sometime maybe 8 months or so ago, right here in the Bangor Daily News website, there was an article on hot dogs causing some cancers, mostly of the colon type, in humans. I did not comment. People found this article something to poke fun at and it became a foolish subject. Cancer, in any form is a serious disease. 'chersully2000' is correct, as your eating (and smoking) habits can bring grief.

'crawdad', you brought up something interesting. Remember that Orono company who hired this Massachusetts subcontractor to install the heating system in Brewer, which caused toxicity to emit into the apartments? Well, 'crawdad' comes up with the radon subject. Seems so many cancer-causing elements are harmful.

What is the end-result of the study, University of Maine? It should not simply end and terminate with this study. What next? What is in the works to curtail the issue...anyone have any idea?

Cre8RoyalPalm, re 4:39 a.m. post. I've had two bouts with colon cancer in the past 1 1/2 years. My doctors have given me one very strong piece of advice; stay away from HOT DOGS! Obviously there is a reason. And I used to love hot dogs. My cancer is now in remission for the second time, but is expected to return.

Paper mills and wind patterns have a great deal to do with health,but nobody can say anything because of economic issues. If they want to do an honest study, then study the rate of cancer and other illnesses to people in the imediate vacinity around the paper mills like Lincoln...who tell you it's an act of god if you complain about the white fine substance that gets on your vehicle overnight or on anything on your property. But ciggerettes is and always will be the scapegoat for cancer, not saying people should smoke,just saying it's the fallback to the cancer problem. i say it's just as bad around paper mills, but also look at the wind patterns in maine, we get fallout from the midwest and also from canada, so you combine all that and it's a wonder maine has a high cancer rate as well as other chronic illnesses. P. S. this is only my opinion and not trying to get mills closed.

I, too am a cancer survivor (two bouts). I grew up in Hancock. As a very young child, I remember the tannery just closing suddenly. The site to my knowledge was never cleaned up. Along the Franklin Road, almost every family has had at least one family member succumb to cancer...Why hasn't someone taken this into consideration? Would like to find a copy of this map.

Not only cancer..the MS rate in Maine is incredibly high.

Diet should tie into this somewhere as may poverty, though not neccesarily. Lowest cancer rates are found in people that are poor by our standards. However, they grow everything they eat. Poorer people in our country have a tendency to just buy worse food. They generally don't own property, so can't raise their own food. The change from an agrarian society to an industrialized society saw the rise in cancer rates. The good news (if you can call it that) is industry is going down the tubes as is hopefully the smokestack energy producers.

Millinocket has suffered for decades with cancer issues and our politicians have done absolutely nothing about it. Its one thing for the other bottom feeders to have ignored the problem, but Michaud has personally ignored requests for assistance from a cancer support group that aids those in his home town~ that’s Baldacci low!

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Mike; much like Snowe & Collins, you have let down your base!

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You’d better count on Jason Levesque as a serious challenger;

Not because he is a family man that understands humanity-

Not because he runs a successful business in one of the least friendly states in the country-

Not because he understands leadership because “he was actually in the military”

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No, I think you should take him as a serious challenger because he is all of these things and your not!

Lets not forget that even before this economic meltdown the Millinocket area was as bad as the rest of the country is now~ the only difference is that now Millinocket is worse!

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You helped hand over the water rights to the greedy paper companies-

You have done jack-diddly for economic recovery in one of the most depressed areas of the country-

But most importantly, you have ignored those struggling to care for the sick and dieing.

Please for the sake of Northern Maine----- Just Retire!

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I hope the study also looks into Cancer Valley - the area of Mexico-Rumford and environs. There is a high rate of cancer in that area and there are incidents of unusual types of cancer in younger people. I also would like to know if the incidents of Parkinson's is higher. Both my mother and my uncle, her brother, have Parkinsons. My mother does not have the gene for the familial type of Parkinsons - therefore, her case may be a result of environmental factors.

Good luck with this long-needed study.

Pat

Jeeze I thought this was about cancer rate in maine.......now we find out that it is Mike Michaud fault! Well I didn't know we can blame all the problems in the Katahdin area on one person, he must have had a lot of pull.....Hey Mark you need to switch over to the political news area this one is for medical news, I mean if you want to BRING in Politics then good Old GW turn downed health care for children and we all know that early prevention is the key with a good diet..................so aparently you are voting for this leveque guy big friggen deal!

I've notice whenever the jet stream comes from the south....the air is hazy and warnings are out for poor air quality. Whenever we get air from Canada...it's crystal clear....I think much pollution does come from the southern states. But I also remember back in the 80's (I think )that paper companies sprayed Dennsyville area with pesticides....and later that summer people were told not to eat anything from their gardens......what about the water. Don't recall them advising not to drink it. Also Bangorian.....yes perhaps many inWashington County aren't college educated....but that doesn't make them stupid. In fact I know many people that have college degrees and lack commen sense. Some can't do anything unless they have a book telling them how.....

A little investigation shows that Maine is part of a region with elevated cancer rates that stetches from New Jersey up the coast through New England, over to New Brunswick, P.E.I., and Nova Scotia. I hope this study does not focus too narrowly on Maine and ignore regional factors that might be important.

*

cancer map of U.S.: http://statecancerprofiles.cancer.gov/map/map.withimage.php?00&001&001&00&0&1&1&1&6&0#map

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cancer map of eastern Canada: http://dsol-smed.phac-aspc.gc.ca/dsol-smed/cancer/m_prov_e.phtml?minx=-2593089&miny=-697455&maxx=3420404&maxy=3840000&CAUSE=799&AGEGROUP=0&YEAR=ak&SEX=3&DATATYPE=r&reClassifyMap=Update+Map&ecumenes=on

In the United States approximately 50% of the men and 33% of the women alive today will have cancer in their lifetime. Source: insurance industry actuarial data. Effect: scary.

rollo3: Re cigarette smoking. Tell that to actor Patrick Swayze who is suffering from terminal pancreatic cancer. He knows, and states, what caused that cancer.....heavy and prolonged cigarette smoking. He says he would do it differently, if he had it to do over. One can be in denial all they want re cigarettes and the harm they do.

Hot dogs and other processed meats have been found to be unhealthy, especially if eaten often and in excess. They should be limited.

Living in Brewer for a while in the past, there was a lot of concern in our neighborhood concerning the extremely high rates of cancer occuring there. Seems to me, I read and was told that much of Brewer was built on some kind of strange soil and rock conditions.......I would have to research this but something about factories there in the past and the residue left over may have led to the current high cancer rates there. Scary and disturbing stuff.....

jersk9: Great comments...so true.

david889327 makes a good point. The study should not just be confined to Maine and factors in Maine as there are other possible causations, originating in other states, Nova Scotia, etc. This all has to be looked into....the whole picture or it will not be a complete study.

Cancer is no respector of wealth or education, age or beauty. Cancer is an opportunistic disease. And noone asks for it either.

i would also like to bring up the subject that finally the PYTHON INVASION was not due to snake owners entirely, it was due to a SNAKE BREEDING FACILITY in Florida, being destroyed in hurrican andrew.................. we are fed lies, lies, lies, and coverups!!!!!!!

usm and medicals have toxic laboratoriy studing now up and down your coastline...... stop university of diverse maine from another kind of take over!!! science area!!!

Exceptionally good idea. Should be done throughout the nation to pinpoint natural concentrations of carcinogens.

David889327 8.1/09 10:10 a.m post~ Thank you for giving the websites for the maps. Very helpful! We should demand more from our government, they after all, killing us!

Amazed - You're welcome. When we look at the larger picture, it starts to look like the high cancer rates are possibly caused by air pollution (which generally flows southwest to northeast across New England, Maine and the Maritimes), something in the regional groundwater or geology, leftover toxic chemicals from the industrial revolution, or all the above, and then some. Then we toss on the lifestyle factors like smoking, tanning, and some say, obesity, and bingo - you got cancer!

Its the Pine Trees. They are angry that we are cutting them all down so they have launched a massive, all out, chemical assault on us. Its slow chemical warfare and they are winning. We must elect Republicans so we can properaly deal with these criminal, animalistic trees who want to disrupt our American way of life. We will not sleep until we smoke em all out. We need to launch a massive shock and awe campaign on the forest. The Evil Axis of Photosynthesis must be stopped. Your either with us..... or against us.

It's all the fault of Maine Yankee. Shut it down now!!!!!!

The data is only accessible by EMHS affiliates. The money is federal government. This is not a good thing that they only "hope" to allow others to see it- why not make it open access to researchers.

I agree totally with Cre8RoyalPalm. We're like a dumping ground for all the pollutants and most rain and snow storms seem to stay over Maine longer than other places. I joke that they must get stopped at Customs on the Maine/Canadian border.

And for you Bangorian---what makes you think that the people of those counties are uneducated. Just because there is a lack of employment doesn't mean the people are uneducated.

Amazed: Some good points, but I would not say it is the government that is killing us.....and causing all this cancer! More than one cause, and people need to take some responsibility and minimize or eliminate behaviors and habits that contribute to getting cancer. There are many pieces to this puzzle!

irishproud: That was funny and clever ....about a serious subject.

eastmainer: I get your joke and unfortunately there seems to be too much truth to it.

Great Northern paper and the others that have owned the mill in Millinocket have been killing people up here for years. Nothings going to change.

As the Executive Director of the American Hotdog Institute (AmHi)...I must protest ...

Ok a serious question, are there any hotdogs that are considered safe to eat? Love my red hots...

I smell lawsuits!