Keyport residents urged to get cancer screenings, soil samplings over feared cancer cluster
Preaching a message of unity, Sal Liguori commanded a crowd well over 100 outside his home, made up of concerned neighbors, politicians and health experts.
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A Keyport resident is leading grassroots efforts and taking matters into his own hands to get answers for his community facing a possible cancer cluster.
Preaching a message of unity, Sal Liguori commanded a crowd well over 100 outside his home, made up of concerned neighbors, politicians and health experts.
“We’re going to do the work that other people couldn’t do - and we’re not stopping," Liguori said.
The first round of groundwater test results came through this week, commissioned by the prospective buyer of the Aeromarine industrial site and landfill. They found several contaminants above DEP standards. But - the agency itself says as of now, there is no apparent path to human contact.
“We will want to ask the EPA if they find this satisfactory, and whether or not more needs to be done at the federal level," said Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th District)
Liguori does not believe the first round of testing was thorough enough. He’s commissioning his own testing into local homes - not just at the landfill. Most importantly, he wants cancer screening for all.
“The best prevention is early detection," said Cecilia Gomez, of the Rutgers Cancer Institute.
“Maybe underinsured or no insurance - everybody is going to be covered," said Assemblymember Gerry Scharfenberger (R-13th District). "We are going to find a way to get everybody tested and treated.”
As the crowd waits for the DEP’s results and plan for remediation, the prospective buyer has said it would not build housing on the site.
