No evidence of cancer rise in toxic town - report
LDRSAn independent report has found "no clear evidence" of higher than expected cancer rates among children and young adults in a town at the centre of a toxic waste scandal.
Dust from work to dismantle the former steelworks in Corby, Northamptonshire, is believed to have caused birth defects and many families suspect pollution is also behind childhood cancers.
The National Disease Registration Service (NDRS) found cancer rates among adults and children living within 5km (3.1 miles) of Deene Quarry were not higher or lower than those seen in the rest of Corby, the East Midlands or England.
North Northamptonshire Council said the report was a "comprehensive analysis" of the data.
The Reform UK-led local authority commissioned the report after requests from local residents.
The report expanded on a previous analysis published in January - which also found cancer rates were not higher than average - and considered a wider age range and a longer time period.
The NDRS examined cancer registrations among children and young adults aged under one to 24 years that occurred between 2001 and 2023, while the previous report considered registrations among people aged under one to 19 years old that occurred between 2013 and 2022.
It comes after parents calling for "greater transparency" protested outside the council's Corby Cube headquarters in July.
The previous analysis found a slightly lower rate of cancer in children and young people in the area near Deene Quarry compared with other areas, while this expanded analysis found a slightly higher rate.
However, the council said none of these findings were statistically significant, meaning that the differences observed were likely to reflect natural variation rather than a genuine difference in cancer rates.
Des Collins, a solicitor who represents the campaigning families, pointed out the NDRS's findings did not "cover all cancers reported to date"
"Above all, it is wrong to put Deene Quarry as the centre of the investigation radius as it's the 'unknown dumping grounds' in and around Corby that are causing the most concern," said Collins.
"Only a fully independent public inquiry will get to the truth and allay local people's fears."
Dr Jane Bethea, the director of public health for North Northamptonshire Council, said: "We recognise that concerns about cancer rates in this area have been deeply felt by some residents, and it is important that those concerns are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly.
"This independent assessment provides the most comprehensive analysis available for this population and time period."
The council's leader, Martin Griffiths, added: "We recognise that a cancer diagnosis, particularly involving a child or young person, is deeply distressing for families, and that concerns about why it happened are entirely understandable.
"This expanded study has looked at a larger population, over a much longer time period.
It found no clear evidence that cancer rates among children and young adults living within the study area are different from those experienced elsewhere."
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