To consider selling ym house as next door neighbour has cancer!

[mummytopebs]

Bit of background our house was 1 of 4 built around 40 years ago on a plot of land on the end of a original street (the houses were added on in a sense).

We have lived here for 2 years. The lady who we bought the house off had breast cancer but thankfully survived. Next door neighbour on one side died of lung cancer 3 years ago, the lady who adjoined that house died of breast cancer 10 years ago and now our other neighbours one of them has just been diagnosed with cancer. So thats 4 houses and 4 cases of cancer!! I am a bit ocncerned for me and my young family that maybe they have been built on something!! Or am i just being silly wwyd?

Those cancers aren't related.

In the nicest way, you are being silly

YANBU - but you are insane.

YABU. I don't know the exact statistics but is it 1 in 3 people will have cancer in their lives? Anyway I guess your neighbours have been very unlucky, that's all.

Do you have an electricity pylon on your land

Actually, I believe cancer is one of the common causes of death in the UK so it's not that unusual that 3 people near you have it. And did the lung cancer victim smoke?

Strangly, I'd think the same as you, that there was something toxic nearby. Perhaps i'm insane as well

YABU. move if you want to but with a third of teh population getting cancer at some point you're unlikely to move to a cancer free zone.

I am only thinking it cos there was 40 houses around 1 mile away from our house that found to have something in their soil that was causing cancer and they dug up all the gardens and re-laid them all. My friend lived in one of those houses and her daughter got cancer at age 3 but thankfully survived, it just makes you think

YANBU. A few studies have shown there's a higher risk of cancer if you're near a landfill site or elect pylons.Look into your surrounding area and plot to find out more.

You are only concerned for your young family. Do what you need to do.

It's just a coincidence. Cancer ain't catching (although childhood leukaemia might possibly be a rare response to common viral illnesses, as it happens).

The 1/3 figure doesn't mean that you'll get neat patterns like every third house having someone who gets cancer.

Well it's easy to say "yeah sell your house because it's been built on toxic waste" but then you're hardly likely to get a buyer for it in that case.

It's just coincidence and you're worrying over nothing. Enjoy your house!

It is likely to be a conincidence, but I don't think you should just dismiss your ideas as there is a small chance you could be right.

I'm no expert, but isn't is right that although 1 in 3 of us will get cancer, a large amount will be older? What ages are the 4 cancer sufferers?

You could write a letter to the council. Who cares if you look stupid - all the houses built at the same time as yours have cancer patients - they might point you in the right direction or help you in some way - especially as they have experience of this type of thing only a mile away, I'd mention that as well.

YAB silly. Am assuming that when you buy your next house, you'll be instructing the agents that you only want to look at houses where nobody has died of cancer within a 5 mile radius

Seriously, don't buy into scare mongering. Do some research about the causative factors for the cancers you have mentioned, and then look at the types of cancers related to environmental factors (rely on sound clinical stidies - not what's published in the Sun)

i think you are worrying over nothing. But if it really concerns you, then move. No point spending your life worrying.

Cancers are very common, and with anything you will find "clusters" in the distribution which have no cause, just coincidence.

It does sometimes happen that there is something toxic in the soil - but this is nearly always because the houses have been built on an old industrial site which was not properly cleared - I think it's very unlikely to have happened just at the end of a residential street.

You could try to find out what was on that ground before the 4 new houses were built - if it was industrial then there could perhaps be reason for worry. But if it was just the ususal sort of bit of wasteground which is typical at the edge of a development, I think you should put it down to coincidence and not fret about it.

The 2 women who had breast cancer got it at around 30 and the 2 men were around 55

You're being ridiculous. 3 cases of cancer in 10 years?

Breast cancer, lung cancer - these are common cancers generally not related to specific environmental factors (excluding asbestos of course). IOf you'd said brain tumours or leukaemia I might have thought you had a point but as it is I think you are concerned without reason.

I don't think you ab totally u.
Of course they're probably unconnected. But it is worth thinking about if you down wind of pesticides, near a mast, whatever.
The soil thing a mile away would make anyone think.

I'd write to the council then, none of those sufferers were over 60.

Hmmm - it is unlikely that they are related but then I'm sure I would have the same concerns. Definitely check out the area just in case.

"Environmental Factors
The environment you are in can cause cancer.

Exposure to asbestos, a group of minerals found in housing and industrial building materials can cause a variety of medical problems, such as mesothelioma.
Studies have shown that people who are exposed to high amount of benzene are at risk for cancer. Benzene is a chemical found in gasoline, smoking, and pollution."

You should also remember that 1 in 3 is a lifetime risk - not your risk of getting it now.

What was in the soil by the way?

How long had they lived in the houses before diagnosis ?