{"id":20128,"date":"2023-02-01T15:01:02","date_gmt":"2023-02-01T22:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/?p=20128"},"modified":"2025-08-26T15:22:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T22:22:08","slug":"cancer-cluster-being-investigated-at-b-c-elementary-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/?p=20128","title":{"rendered":"Cancer cluster being investigated at B.C. elementary school"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alouette Elementary<\/strong> in Maple Ridge, B.C<\/strong>., is under investigation for possible environmental contamination after multiple staff \u2014 all in the same wing of the school \u2014 were diagnosed with breast cancer over the past two years.<\/p>\n

Stefan Labb\u00e9<\/a>\u00a0– Vancouver Is Awesome
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Alouette Elementary in Maple Ridge, B.C., is under investigation for potential environmental contamination after multiple staff were diagnosed with breast cancer. \u00a0<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Officials are investigating a potential environmental health threat in a B.C. elementary school after multiple staff members\u00a0were diagnosed with breast cancer, Glacier Media has confirmed.<\/p>\n

The cases all appear to be contained to a single wing of Alouette Elementary in Maple Ridge, B.C. An undisclosed number of staff\u00a0in that wing\u00a0tested positive for breast cancer over the course of two years.\u00a0The most recent diagnosis coming before this year’s winter break, said a spokesperson for School District 42. The spokesperson said she\u00a0couldn’t disclose the exact number of cases, citing\u00a0privacy reasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just weird. They\u2019re all in the same wing of the school. It\u2019s the same four classrooms,\u201d mother Amanda Jackson told Glacier Media.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy son\u2019s teacher was the latest case, unfortunately. His teacher from last year as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last year, Jackson said her son and his friends were \u201cconstantly sick.\u201d At first, she thought nothing of it \u2014 like many kids, she figured they were just passing germs around in a school of more than 400 students. Then COVID-19 restrictions eased, and parents were finally allowed back in the school.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy nose runs. You just don\u2019t feel well. It\u2019s hard to breathe,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s an old building\u2026 I just assumed it was asbestos or mould or something.\u201d<\/p>\n

That is, until more and more people started feeling the same way, Jackson said.<\/p>\n

Investigation into school contamination continues<\/h3>\n

After the most recent diagnosis, the school district contacted WorkSafeBC, the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and the local medical health officer, according to\u00a0district spokesperson Irena\u00a0Pochop.<\/p>\n

Fraser Health said it is not conducting an environmental investigation at Alouette Elementary, \u201cbut we are aware the District is doing testing, and we have been in communication with the school,\u201d wrote health authority spokesperson Nick Eagland in an email.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for WorkSafeBC, meanwhile, told Glacier Media it recently provided \u201cconsultative support\u201d to an investigation conducted by the employer, School District 42.<\/p>\n

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Pochop said the school district has begun\u00a0environmental testing, looking for friable asbestos and mould, and testing\u00a0air and water quality. Investigators are also testing the\u00a0school custodial\u00a0supplies for contamination.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWe are still awaiting the results of air quality testing, but all results were received and shared with the BCCDC, WorkSafeBC and the medical health officer, who confirmed the testing\u00a0did not identify any possible sources that could cause breast cancer…\u201d said Pochop in an email.<\/p>\n

Those agencies and health officials\u00a0advised the school district that the next step will involve an\u00a0assessment from the\u00a0BC Cancer Agency.<\/p>\n

Over three decades old, Alouette Elementary in Maple Ridge, B.C.,
\nis now under investigation for a possible cancer cluster. \u00a0 School District 42<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to the agency, a disease\u00a0cluster can occur when a\u00a0group of people share something in common, like their work or where they live. But cancer is a collection of over 100 different diseases. Many have multiple triggers that set off the disease. In other cases, the triggers are unknown.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why sudden outbreaks of cancer are not seen in the same way they are for infectious diseases,\u201d notes the agency on its website.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe closest example occurs when groups are exposed to a very potent cancer-causing substance through their occupation, or have a short-term exposure to a strong cancer-causing substance (a carcinogen).\u201d<\/p>\n

The agency points to radiation exposure survivors of the atomic bomb explosions in Japan faced after the Second World War. But even in that case, \u201cthat cancer cluster emerged after, and over, many years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Glacier Media reached out to the BC Cancer Agency on Thursday, Jan. 19 to confirm whether it was conducting an investigation, and if so, what it had learned. A spokesperson for the Provincial Health Services Authority, which speaks to the press on behalf of BC Cancer, said it could not provide a response \u201cuntil next week at the earliest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pochop said classes have not been suspended in the section of the school that’s under investigation, and the medical health officer has not raised any concerns about student safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we have been dedicated to following up on staff concerns, we are also mindful of and attempting to respect the right to privacy of the staff members who have been impacted by their diagnosis,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Asbestos exposures among biggest source of worker deaths in B.C.<\/h3>\n

While it’s not yet clear what has\u00a0led to the cluster of cancer cases, workplace exposures at B.C. schools have been known to trigger cancer in the past.<\/p>\n

Past studies from WorkSafeBC have identified cases of lung cancer and mesothelioma \u2014 a rare form of cancer often brought on by asbestos exposure that usually affects the linings surrounding organs in the chest \u2014 in people working in B.C. schools undergoing renovation. Those risks are especially elevated in buildings built before 1990.<\/p>\n

Between 2002 and 2021, WorkSafeBC recognized 1,112 worker deaths related to asbestos exposure. Of those, 95 per cent were male and 59 per cent were between 71 and 85 years old.<\/p>\n

But according to the American Cancer Society and WorkSafeBC, people exposed to asbestos usually experience a 20- to 30-year latency period before receiving a cancer diagnosis.<\/p>\n

In addition to the negative asbestos test results, none of the authorities contacted for this story provided information to suggest\u00a0the teachers were exposed to an environmental toxin like asbestos over multiple decades.<\/p>\n

Built in 1989, Alouette Elementary\u00a0was expected to receive interior and exterior upgrades in 2022 and is due to to have its building envelope remediated by 2024, according to a 2022 strategic facilities plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only school remaining in the Central Capital Zone with building envelope remediation requirements is Alouette Elementary,\u201d noted the plan.<\/p>\n

There is no evidence, however, that the age and condition of the building have contributed to the cancer diagnoses.<\/p>\n

Suspected school cancer clusters not unheard of<\/h3>\n

In other jurisdictions, suspected school cancer clusters have been blamed on a number of environmental exposures.<\/p>\n

In December\u00a02022, investigators from the University of Iowa found it was likely there was\u00a0no cancer cluster<\/a> in a local school after 12 teachers were diagnosed with breast cancer over a decade.<\/p>\n

At a high school in New Jersey, more than\u00a0100 former students and staff were diagnosed with\u00a0brain cancer and other central nervous system cancers over a 30-year period. One former student\u00a0who tested positive for cancer told\u00a0local reporters last year he believed the cases may be linked to a nearby plant at one time used to process, package, store and ship uranium\u00a0under the Manhattan Project<\/a>. But an environmental study carried out last year found no traces of radiological contamination, according to a report<\/a> from\u00a0NBC in May.<\/p>\n

And in 2019, the Pennsylvania Department of Health found that over the course of a decade,\u00a0four diagnosis\u00a0of a rare tumour in students and staff members\u00a0were not\u00a0\u201cconsistently or statistically significantly higher than expected,\u201d reported a local newspaper<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Back in Maple Ridge, Pochop\u00a0said their investigation will continue under the direction of the medical health officer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe health and safety of our students and staff is always our top priority, and we are committed to following any and all direction that we may receive from public health experts,\u201d Pochop\u00a0said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

https:\/\/www.vancouverisawesome.com\/highlights\/cancer-cluster-being-investigated-at-bc-elementary-school-6412375<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alouette Elementary in Maple Ridge, B.C., is under investigation for possible environmental contamination after multiple staff \u2014 all in the same wing of the school \u2014 were diagnosed with breast cancer over the past two years. Stefan Labb\u00e9\u00a0– Vancouver Is Awesome Jan 20, 2023 5:00 PM Alouette Elementary in Maple Ridge, B.C., is under investigation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[540,345,319,1019,17,103,336,28,317,54,930,771,1021,1020,23,7,12,118],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-3g","category-4g","category-adult","category-alouette-elementary-school","category-bc","category-canada","category-cancer-health_and_safety","category-cell-tower","category-children","category-maple-ridge","category-microwave","category-mr4st","category-newton-wellesley-hospital","category-riverside-elementary-school","category-school","category-wifi","category-wimax","category-work-safe-bc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20128"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20129,"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20128\/revisions\/20129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emrabc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}