ARTICLE - CANCER IN MAYWOOD AND ROCHELLE PARK

Lawyers Meet Cancer Victims to Plan Strategy, Expect to Bring a Number of Suits Over Contaminated Soil

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1997 LOCAL NEWS PM THE RECORD L-5
By Antonio Olivo, Staff Writer

ROCHELLE PARK - Attorneys said Thursday that they have identified almost 50 people who developed cancer after living or working near sites in Maywood, Lodi, and Rochelle Park that have soil contaminated with chemicals.

After meeting with about 100 residents inside the Ramada Inn Thursday, the lawyers - representing three New Jersey firms - indicated they would soon bring a number of lawsuits against government agencies and private companies responsible for the cleanup. "We're filing," said attorney Angelo Cifaldi, a member of a Woodbridge firm.

At least 400 clients from the three towns were identified for potential cases, said Norm Hobbie, a lawyer in a Middletown firm. Some have cancer or related illnesses, he said. Others claim they were damaged by cleanup attempts

Attorney Alfred Anthony, who works with Cifaldi, said medical experts hired by the law firms will interview potential clients to determine whether some cases can be handled together.

A government report released last week revealed a higher-than-expected rate of brain and nervous system cancer among women living in neighborhoods with contaminated sites. But the study indicated no elevated rates for several other forms of cancer.

The pollution comes from the old Maywood Chemical Works, which used a radioactive substance called thorium and other chemicals to make lanterns in the early part of the century. The Maywood Chemical Co. later operated on the site, which is now home to Stephan Chemical Co. Cleanup started in 1984.

At the closed meeting Thursday, the lawyers said they heard from a large number of residents who have either lived near the contaminated soil for years or worked near it.

The lawyers put a large map on the wall showing dozens of contaminated properties in the three communities. Residents with cancer or related illnesses were asked to put in pins locating their homes or workplaces. By the evening's end, the pins were clustered near property values have been lowered or that their property has been the contaminated sites. Many were close to property occupied by Stepan, which is near Central Avenue and Route 17.

"This is amazing," Anthony said.

Cifaldi predicted that more than 100 cancer cases - including brain, liver, and lung cancer - may eventually be found in people living or working near patches of contaminated soil.

Among those present Thursday were former employees of the Maywood Department of Public Works, who believe their cancer resulted from work done in the sewers beneath the Stepan company.

Wayne Mayer, a spokesman for the Bechtel Corp., a federal contractor overseeing the cleanup of the Maywood Superfund waste site, said the Department o Energy is planning a ground water study this fall of the toxic pollutants detected beneath the Stepan Chemical Co.