Local nurse urges faster state action after 13 pediatric cancer cases in Scott County
Loading...
Summary
A board‑certified oncology nurse told the Scott County Board of Supervisors there have been 13 pediatric cancer diagnoses in the last two years and asked the county to press state agencies for a faster investigation and environmental testing.
Megan Smith, a board‑certified oncology nurse, told the Scott County Board of Supervisors that 13 children in the county have been diagnosed with cancer over the past two years and urged the board to press state agencies for a quicker, more public investigation.
"There has been an alarming increase of pediatric cancer cases in Scott County in the last 2 years. 13 is the total as of Monday," Smith said, reading case counts she said came from family reports and registry communications. She emphasized that the county has fewer than 4,000 children and said some recent diagnoses include rare tumors and late‑stage cancers.
Smith listed specific concerns raised by families, including geographic clustering in Duffield, Fort Blackmore and Rockhold and the timing of a two‑year delay by the Virginia Cancer Registry in obtaining requested data from surrounding areas. She said families have undertaken local testing—water, pools and radon—and called for immediate official follow‑up.
On the record, Smith recommended the board appoint a county contact to coordinate families, farm testing and state interactions. Chair responded by naming Supervisor Stephanie Addington as a county representative and asking staff to follow up with state health contacts. The board also encouraged residents to pursue home radon testing and water sampling.
County staff said the Virginia Department of Health collected data from affected families and had forwarded the information to the Virginia Cancer Registry for investigation; no firm timeline was provided for the registry’s review.
The board did not take a formal vote to open a local epidemiologic study but asked staff to provide contact information for state investigators and to keep the community informed. Several supervisors urged residents to pursue immediate environmental checks such as radon and water testing while the registry's review proceeds.
Next steps recorded on the meeting record: the county will designate a local contact (Supervisor Addington), staff will share the department of health contact information provided to the board, and the board asked to be kept updated as the Virginia Cancer Registry completes its review.
