Mom of local teen who died from Ewing sarcoma speaks out on recent study

CANONSBURG, Pa. — The mother of a Canon Mac teenager who died from Ewing sarcoma feels researchers did not do enough in their multimillion-dollar study over the course of three years.

Jan Blanock’s son, Luke, was one of a group of young people in Western Pennsylvania diagnosed with the rare cancer. In 2019, Jan went to the governor’s office in Harrisburg demanding the state look into childhood cancers in the Washington County area.

Last week, results from the University of Pittsburgh School of Health study, funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, found children living close to gas wells have a higher risk of developing lymphoma, and an increased risk for severe asthma.

“They didn’t interact with families,” Jan said. “I had a one-time phone interview. They didn’t come to my home, they didn’t test the soil, they didn’t test the water, they didn’t come to the community where the cancers are happening.”

Jan now works with the Center for Coalfield Justice, an environmental group.

“We know despite Ewings being incredibly rare, and thirty cases in Western Pennsylvania... Thirty isn’t a big number. We are dealing with powerful small numbers here that are alarm, it was upsetting they didn’t have more answers for us,” said Heaven Sensky of the Center for Coalfield Justice. “There is harm being done on our communities. I’d love to get more answers. I’m sitting in a place where I think it’s time to take action and choose health of our children over industry profits.”

David Callahan, President of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, tells Channel 11, “We empathize with families facing health issues and protecting everyone’s health and safety is our highest priority. While we are still reviewing the reports commissioned by the prior administration, the asthma methodology is troubling, as it simply reproduces previously flawed studies and relies on faulty metrics rather than actual emissions and exposure data. All of the studies, in fact, failed to adequately consider other critical causational factors that may have affected the findings.

Both the Marcellus Shale Coalition and families against natural gas drilling tell Channel 11 they would have liked to see water and air samples taken after the three-year study.

“As an industry rooted in science and engineering, we take objective and transparent research seriously. Past research based on actual field monitoring in Pennsylvania and nationwide demonstrates natural gas development is not detrimental to public health. Our industry’s commitment to the health and safety of our workers and the communities where we’re privileged to operate is second to none, as our members continue to responsibly supply clean, reliable domestic natural gas essential to modern life,” said Callahan.

North Franklin Township mother Jodi Borello is now working with the Center for Coalfield Justice and Jan Blanock’s new organization, “Mad Facts.” Borello says a well pad was built behind her home a year after she and her family built it.

“They blew off from this pipe system seven days a week, three times a day, for nearly a decade. We would have approximately 60 seconds to get indoors,” said Borello.

Borello showed Channel 11 video of her backyard after a substance was shooting into the air.

The corporation responsible was cited by the Attorney General and charged with Unlawful Conduct - Air Pollution.

“I had chemical burns to my eyes. I contacted the DEP - what was coming out of the above-ground pipe system was everything they were pumping down... they were blowing out.”

Jodi says selling her home would be difficult.

“Now we know the truth. What are these families going to do that are living next to these facilities? Who is going to buy their home? What is the state going to do to compensate these families who are now definitely not going to be able to sell their home?”

Jan is hopeful more families will join her group, Mad Facts, which stands for “Moms and Dads: Family Awareness of Cancer Threat Spike,” which she says she has made her life’s work, for her son.

“He touched many lives and I think Luke would be proud of the work we are doing.”

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