A higher than statistically expected number of thyroid cancer incidences near Lake Norman remains unexplained. | By Dough4872/Wikimedia Commons
A higher than statistically expected number of thyroid cancer incidences near Lake Norman remains unexplained. | By Dough4872/Wikimedia Commons
Higher than expected thyroid cancer cases in Iredell County still remain unanswered after testing didn't point to coal ash.
"As of right now, we cannot find a smoking gun. In other words, we don't know if it is just statistical," North Carolina Sen. Vickie Sawyer (R-Mooresville) said, the Statesville Record & Landmark reported on Sept. 29.
Soil, water, and air sample data from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality didn't point to coal ash, Sawyer said.
From 2012 to 2017, Iredell County's cancer cases dropped, but at the same time thyroid cancer incidences were stable, a U.S. Department of Health and Human Service report said.
After a coal ash spill into Dan River in 2014, Duke Energy agreed to remove 80 million tons of coal ash from six North Carolina locations.
A scientific report by a Duke University team discussed the incidence of thyroid cancer in Mooresville and other North Carolina locations. But Dr. Heather Stapleton said their report does not suggest what may contribute to the disease, the Statesville Record & Landmark reported.
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