| It's pretty easy to frighten a person. Just tell | | | | Mexicans are more likely to die from lung cancer at a |
| someone he or she will get cancer from something. | | | | rate nearly four times higher than American Indians. |
| Bringing up increased cancer rates caused by what | | | | Dr. Wiggins minimized the impact of uranium |
| one does, e.g. what one eats, where one lives, what | | | | contamination or ionizing radiation as the logic behind |
| chemicals one ingests and so forth, may be great | | | | specific cancers. For example, when questioned about |
| coffee shop chatter. But, one should get their | | | | "increasing breast cancer rates," he cited changes in a |
| statistics and research in order before publicly | | | | woman's fertility (for example, birth control pills) and |
| pronouncing judgment on the source of a cancer. If | | | | obesity as the main drivers. Wiggins said, "Higher |
| they want to be taken seriously. Environmentalists | | | | breast cancer incidence occurs in Long Island (New |
| may have some secret statistics generally unavailable | | | | York) or Marin County (California) because higher |
| to the public for which they insist uranium ISL (in situ | | | | breast cancer rates were found mainly among rich, |
| leach mining) projects "might" cause an increase in | | | | white people, not in Gallup, New Mexico. |
| cancer rates. | | | | According to actual University of New Mexico data, |
| We met with Joseph J. Kolb, editor and publisher of | | | | American Indian cancer statistics are lower than |
| "The Gallup Herald," to hear his thoughts about the | | | | those for Anglos and Hispanics. Dr. Wiggins explained, |
| proposed uranium ISL projects in Gallup area. During | | | | "Of the 50,000 to 60,000 Navajos living in New |
| the course of our conversation, Mr. Kolb made his | | | | Mexico, Navajos have about half the rate of cancer |
| views known. Then, he preserved for posterity | | | | compared to Anglos and half the risk of developing |
| those comments in an editorial he published on | | | | cancer." Dr. Wiggins also noted that the Laguna |
| November 13th. Kolb preached, "Uranium mining on | | | | Pueblo Indians living near the former Jackpile uranium |
| the reservation can and has detrimentally affected | | | | mine have lower cancer rates compared to the rest |
| Gallup... There have also been stories of the | | | | of New Mexico. Dr. Wiggins agreed that the rate of |
| disproportionately high rate of breast, cervical and | | | | kidney cancers had increased a bit, but explained it |
| ovarian cancer here. Researchers continue to study | | | | was caused by increased diabetes and obesity, not |
| the possible correlation between the 1979 spill | | | | from another source. |
| (Puerco River valley spill) and its effect on the local | | | | According to the National Program of Cancer |
| cancer rate." | | | | Registries, the range of ovarian deaths among |
| Kolb confided to us, "I know at least 15 women with | | | | women living in New Mexico is between 9.9 and 14.3 |
| breast cancer." He also claimed to have investigated | | | | per 100,000, with an 11.9 average rate. The American |
| the cancer statistics through the New Mexico | | | | Indian rate is 13.4, but the non-Hispanic white rate is |
| Environmental Department and the American Cancer | | | | 14.1. Nationally, the average for all races is 13.1. All |
| Society. In his mind, the transplanted ex-New Yorker | | | | statistics reported were for year 2002. Dr. Wiggins's |
| Kolb blames Gallup's cancer rate on a uranium tailings | | | | research showed a rate of 13.4 among American |
| spill, which occurred in 1979. At one point during the | | | | Indian women for the period 1998 through 2002. The |
| conversation, Kolb admitted he had previously | | | | rate is neither alarming nor "disproportionately high" as |
| thought uranium mining might have been good for | | | | Mr. Kolb suggested. There are other states with |
| the local economy because of the royalties such | | | | higher ovarian cancer rates among women, such as |
| operations would throw off. Along the way, he | | | | Montana, Washington, Nevada, Alabama, West |
| changed his mind. | | | | Virginia, New Jersey and New York. It is similar to the |
| It sounds very convincing, and perhaps Kolb's readers | | | | ovarian cancer rate for the entire Western United |
| swallowed his editorial rhetoric hook-line-and-sinker. Dr. | | | | States, but still lower than the Northeastern U.S. |
| Charles Wiggins, Director and Principal Investigator for | | | | When discussing cancer rate statistics, Craig Bartels, |
| the New Mexico Tumor Registry at the University of | | | | President of Hydro Resources which hopes to start |
| New Mexico's Cancer Research and Treatment | | | | ISL operations in New Mexico, also did his homework, |
| Center, didn't. He scoffed at Kolb's claims and | | | | "When you do the math, the Navajo cancer rate is |
| commented, "A lot of people say these things, but | | | | 30% less than the general U.S. rate. Among the |
| when I go in and investigate I invariably find out they | | | | Navajo, 87.5 deaths of every 100,000 are cancer |
| are wrong." As an epidemiologist, Dr. Wiggins deals | | | | related. The U.S. is 125.6 deaths of every 100,000 are |
| with the study of the causes of disease in | | | | cancer related." |
| populations. | | | | It is a troubling experience to realize how official and |
| Dr. Wiggins presented us with the most recent | | | | scientific statistics are readily dismissed by radical |
| report of cancers among New Mexico American | | | | environmentalists. In Albuquerque, we discussed the |
| Indian females. The incident rate, between 1998 and | | | | University of New Mexico statistics with Southwest |
| 2002, was 48 deaths per 100,000. The breast cancer | | | | Research and Information Center, SRIC, office |
| death rate, throughout New Mexico during the same | | | | manager, Annette Aguayo, and editor of their |
| time frame, was 110 per 100,000. In the Mountain | | | | in-house quarterly report, Voices from the Earth. Her |
| States, comprising Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, | | | | response to our undercover editorial team? "Oh, |
| Nevada and New Mexico, that rate rose to 119.4. For | | | | those are government statistics. We don't trust |
| the entire Western United States, the death rate | | | | those." Her comments makes one wonder where the |
| stood at 128.8, about the range for the national | | | | New Mexico media, such as editor/publisher Joseph |
| average of 124.9. That was 260 percent higher than | | | | Kolb, get their statistics when blaming uranium mining |
| the breast cancer rate for the American Indians in | | | | for rising cancer rates. As Don Quixote sang in the |
| New Mexico, a group covered in this report. Hispanic | | | | musical, Man of La Mancha, "Facts are the enemy of |
| women in New Mexico died from breast cancer at | | | | truth." Might this also apply to the data SRIC has |
| more than double that rate, during that time frame. | | | | been supplying the local media and disseminating |
| A frequent lament about uranium mining, found in the | | | | among the Navajos? |
| anti-nuclear propaganda, is the absolutely amazing high | | | | Joseph Kolb may have more woes on his mind than |
| rate of lung cancer deaths suffered by the Navajo. | | | | uranium mining. Recently, the "Gallup Independent" |
| Having been influenced by that party line, the Navajo | | | | reported on Kolb's money woes. His weekly "Gallup |
| Nation president Joe Shirley Jr. banned uranium on the | | | | Herald" continues to get sued and rack up printing |
| reservation last April. Statistics provided by Dr. | | | | bills. Since October, Intermountain Color, which won a |
| Wiggins demonstrate that the American Indian in | | | | judgment against Kolb's newspaper of $61,425, has |
| New Mexico has one of the lowest lung cancer rates | | | | tried to get the debt paid. The Albuquerque Publishing |
| in the United States. Utah, a state with the lowest | | | | company filed a lawsuit against the Herald, seeking |
| incidence of lung cancer deaths, has a rate more than | | | | over $27,000 in unpaid invoices. It was reported Kolb |
| 150 percent higher. Nationwide lung cancer death | | | | owes nearly $11,000 to the "Navajo Times" for |
| rates are more than 300 percent higher. White New | | | | printing bills. |