State investigates cancer at Corona del Sol

First came the flulike symptoms. Then a sky-high fever. Before long, Claudia Duncan's son, Eric, was hospitalized.

Staff says Corona del Sol makes them sick

 After a lymph node biopsy, Eric, less than seven years out of high school and enjoying a successful engineering career, was diagnosed with lymphoma.

Now, after the first two rounds of chemotherapy, her son, 24, is doing well, Duncan said. But she wants answers.

Her son is one of many alumni and staff at Tempe's Corona del Sol High School who have developed tumors and cancer, prompting the Arizona Department of Health Services to send its experts to the school to investigate what some parents say is an abnormally high incidence of cancer.

Currently, the evidence is anecdotal. The department hopes to chronicle the cases and analyze them for possible patterns.

"There are so many coincidences, it totally needs to be looked at," Duncan said. "I believe there is a problem with the building."

The school has been plagued by poor air quality and an overworked ventilation system that has left moisture - and sometimes mold - in its walls and floors. But the Tempe Union High School District does not have the $17 million necessary to fix the problem, and the state has refused to provide emergency funding to the school.

After being flooded with e-mails from concerned constituents, several Chandler lawmakers sent a letter to Gov. Janet Napolitano voicing their concerns.

Napolitano directed the state's department of health services to investigate. So the state agency is asking any people connected with the school who have had tumors - both malignant and benign - to pick up one of the confidential surveys in the school's office and return it before Thursday.

"It's a great step in the right direction," said House Majority Whip John McComish, R-Chandler.

"I'm just concerned that we don't know: Is the sky falling or isn't it? We need to first find out how serious is the problem in terms of cancer."

The survey asks details about the type of cancer or tumor, as well as information about when and where the respondent worked at the school. It also asks about smoking habits.

Tempe mother Pamela Rupprecht believes there might be a connection between the building and her daughter Sarah's illness.

Shortly after Sarah graduated in 2001, surgeons had to remove her left ovary because of a grapefruit-sized tumor growing there.

"Now if she wants to have kids, it will be more difficult," her mother said.

While Rupprecht welcomes the health surveys, some community members say the district hasn't made enough of an effort to track down graduates and former staff.

Also, the survey is being collected between March 17 and 27, leaving just 10 days to gather information.

Debbie Casey-Carboni, who lives across the street from the Rupprecht family, said she was unaware of the cancer survey, even though her son attends Corona del Sol.

Her daughter, Cara, graduated in 2003. Last year, while playing golf, she noticed pain in her wrist. Shortly afterward, doctors at the Mayo Clinic removed a benign, long bone tumor from her forearm. Cara's mother said she will fill out one of the questionnaires, now that she knows the district is collecting that information.

PTO President Mckell Keeney is trying to obtain contact information for alumni through class reunion organizers, as well as through Internet social networking sites like Facebook.

District officials say this health survey won't be the last: They will soon release a survey asking about broader health concerns such as headaches and respiratory problems.

A Corona del Sol father and Arizona State University professor will collect that data and compare it with data from another district school, said district spokeswoman Linda Littell.

Cancer Survey

Corona del Sol High School students and staff are asked to complete a health survey about “cancer-related” concerns. The survey can be found on the district’s Web site, and can also be picked up at the school’s office.

Completed surveys are due Thursday, March 27, and should be placed in a sealed envelope labeled “Corona Health Survey.”

Drop them off at the school’s office or mail them to Corona del Sol High School, 1001 E. Knox Road, Tempe, AZ, 85284.