Residents of the area have been fighting to win some relief from the effects of a massive underground fuel leak that sent 50,000 to 900,000 gallons of fuel into the ground water and soil under their homes. An estimated 450 homes have been affected by the spill. The spread of the fuel and its fumes has been aided by the presence of an abandoned mine shaft directly under a section of the neighborhood.

Benzene, toluene, MTBE and ethylbenzene are some of the gases given off by gasoline and detected in the homes. The Environmental Protection Agency, in charge of the cleanup of the area, insists that there is no evidence that the spill has caused any illnesses.

The Group Against Gas (GAG) hosted an August 29 meeting for the three doctors who conducted the study and issued a report. The report was based on questionnaires and interviews with 207 residents of 84 homes in the Hazle Township section of the spill area. More than 300 other homes in Hazleton are also in the spill zone but weren't part of the study. More than 120 people attended the meeting to hear the results of the study.

The doctors stopped short of saying the spill was the cause of the cancers, largely because there is no data on the actual levels of exposure. For example, air samples have been taken for eight hours at the longest, rather than continuously. Benzene levels have varied greatly over time and depend on atmospheric conditions.

Previous research has found a definite link between exposure to benzene and leukemia, and a possible link to stomach cancer.

The doctors also noted that little is known about long-term low-level exposure to benzene. Industrial standards are based on exposure five days a week, eight hours a day, not around the clock for years. The doctors' report recommended ongoing monitoring of benzene levels in the air and soil, screening for indications of benzene exposure, and annual routine health screening.

Many of those living in the spill zone have been pushing state and federal agencies to give them the option of a government buyout of their homes so they can leave the area while efforts are made to clean up the spill.

GAG members found an unexpected opportunity to voice their demands the day before the meeting when Pennsylvania governor Thomas Ridge made an unannounced visit to their neighborhood.

On short notice, 50 to 60 people gathered outside the house he was visiting and held signs attacking the lack of action by federal and state officials. One sign read, "We want a buyout before we die out." Ridge stated his hands were tied. Pennsylvania law allows disaster declarations only for natural disasters.

City officials in Hazleton have applied for a grant to extend the study throughout the whole spill zone.  
 
 
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