Md. monitors Fort Detrick cancers

Maryland’s public health agency has decided to continue monitoring areas around Fort Detrick in Frederick County following an 18-month cancer investigation. Their findings were statistically significant, with the incidence of lymphomas in the area 25 percent higher than the rest of the state. Occurrences of lymphoma were drawn from 1992 through 2008

Dr. Clifford Mitchell of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said, however, the difference was not significant between Fort Detrick and the rest of Frederick County. Public health officials are still analyzing the mixed findings. The high number of lymphoma cases prompted concerns about the fort’s work with chemicals in past decades.