30,000 people were spread out over the 840 square mile rural region where I lived and all of us were completely dependent on water in our aquifers. Within 3 years, 4 people I knew personally, were diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. One man was 49 years old, another man was 62 years old, another man was 33 years old and another man was 35 years old. And there were more people I did not know.

The 33 year old man I knew worked at an air force base and the 35 year old man worked for a company called Chemtool (that produces chemicals). Since we were dependent on ground water, our community had opposed the Chemtool project, but we lost that battle. Three years after Chemtool opened is when people started being diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

All four men worked as long as they could, but when they could not work any longer, all four of their disability claims were denied. All told, these men had 14 children and the impact on their families was awful.

That’s the long way of saying thank you for bringing attention to Parkinson’s Disease and its source.