By JOAO FERREIRA, Standard-Times staff writer
New Bedford, Mass.

Researchers will finally have a chance to find out if pollution along Fall Brook in Freetown or the Acushnet River in New Bedford has anything to do with the prevalence of certain diseases.

The answers will come from a study being funded through the Agency of Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, state Rep. Mark A. Howland, D-Freetown, announced last week.

SouthCoast is one of only five areas in the nation chosen for the epidemiological study, Mr. Howland said.

"It's been rumored for years that we have cancer clusters out there," Mr. Howland said. "A study done will give some definite answers."

The federal government will allocate $100,000 per year for two years to the Massachusetts Department of Health for assessment work.

An initial survey will be complete by the end of the year, Mr. Howland said. Over the next two years investigators will conduct a database research. That research includes analyzing health records for the target areas.

A group of 15 scientists, medical professionals, patient advocates and others, together with the Department of Environmental Protection, will meet tomorrow to move the study forward.

Several areas are expected to be surveyed for prevalence of diseases such as multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, two diseases commonly related to environmental pollution. Several types of cancer could also become part of the study, Mr. Howland said.

Study areas could include the Fall Brook and the Acushnet River, as well as the BFI landfill in Fall River, Mr. Howland said.

Members of the local delegation have been trying to attract the federal funds to the area since early last year.

Rep. Robert Koczera, D-New Bedford, who formerly represented Freetown, started the process in February 2002. When Mr. Howland took over the Freetown district last year, he continued to fight for funding, along with the rest of the local delegation.

"All of us just kept pushing for it," he said, adding that a similar study "should have been done before."

This story appeared on Page A4 of The Standard-Times on September 15, 2003.