--"Woburn, MA is a community of approx 35,000 people, located 13 miles nw of Boston. It has an extensive industrial history spanning over 130 years. Manufacturing resulted in the deposition of hazardous materials and waste products including arsenic compounds, tannery waste and heavy metals. Beginning in 1979, excavation of a site unearthed significant amounts of industrial waste. In June of 1979 it was learned that two municipal drinking water wells located near the site and in use since 1964 were contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE), perchloro-ethylene, choloroform, and other organic compounds. The contaminated wells were immediately closed. Between Jan 1969 and Dec 1979, twelve (12) cases of childhood leukemia were diagnosed in Woburn. Six of these cases resided in a 6 block area served directly by the contaminated wells.

Results of a 1981 case control investigation by the Ma Dept of Public Health confirmed the elevated incidence of childhood leukemia, particularly among males. By 1986 nine (9) additional cases had been diagnosed.

The study is a matched case control design with matching based on age, sex, race, and dates of residence in Woburn. (snip)

A relationship between exposure and leukemia was identified for exposure which occurred during the time the mother was pregnant with the study cases. A weaker association was identified for maternal exposure beginning two years before conception and ending at conception of the leukemia case. Although small numbers of cases limit statistical power, a significant trend across exposure categories was identified for the period during pregnancy suggesting a dose response relationship for mothers who drank contaminated water during pregnancy. Results must be interpreted with caution as small number of study subjects lead to imprecise estimates of leukemia risk. " ---

From: Woburn Childhood Leukemia Follow-Up Study Information Booklet
For more info contact:
MA Dept of Public Health
Bureau of Environmental Health Assessment
250 Washington Street, 7th floor
Boston 02108

The report is two thick volumes - page 6 includes:
"The cases belonged to three of the four histopatholigical types of leukemia. Seventeen cases have been identified as acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), 3 cases a acute myelocytic luekemia (AML) and 1 case as chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML). None of the children were reported as having the fourth major histpaholgic type, chromic lumpocytic leukemia (CLL)."
The report is dated May 7, 1996 there is a public comment period which closes July 8, 1996