Woburn Health Studies Massachusetts DPH, 1979 reviewed mortality statistics Massachusetts DPH, 1981 cancer incidence and environmental hazards Considered contaminated air, soil & water Massachusetts DPH & CDC, 1981 incidence of childhood leukemia, kidney, liver, and bladder cancers and environmental hazards Lagakos and others – Positive association between access to water from wells G & H and the incidence of childhood leukemia. Harvard School of Public Health, 1985 health effects and contaminated well water 20 childhood leukemia cases: Waldorf & Cleary (1983) water distribution model

Diagnosed Cases of Childhood Leukemia in Woburn: No records available Wells G & H on line Wells G & H off line cases observed expected ELEVATED INCIDENCE NORMALINCIDENCE (Massachusetts DPH, 1997)

H H G G S46 U.S. EPA / U.S. Geological Survey January Wells G & H pumping  = -565 gpm Losing Stream (after Myette and others, 1987)

BOSTON Courtroom No. 6 McCormick Courthouse BOSTON Courtroom No. 6 McCormick Courthouse Walter J. Skinner Federal Judge Jan Schlichtmann Plaintiffs Mike Keating W.R. Grace & Co. Jerry Facher Beatrice Foods

Judge Skinner’s Ruling on Trial Plans Federal Rules of Civil Procedure # 42 – Separation of Trials Phase 1 – Determine whether either defendant (W.R. Grace or Beatrice Foods) was responsible for the toxic chemicals found in municipal wells G & H LIABLE Phase 2 – Determine whether the toxic chemicals found in wells G & H and delivered to the Plaintiffs’ residences could cause leukemia Phase 3 – Evaluate other health claims Phase 4 – Decide punitive damages LIABLE

SW - NE Geologic Cross Section (after Metheny, 1998) GG BB (Metheny & Bair, 2000) Plaintiffs’ Expert 3 yrs 3 mos River infiltration: yrs Beatrice’s Case Barrier River infiltration: 1 month W.R. Grace’s Case May 1979 May 1979 River infiltration: 1 mo, 50%

The Trial Phase 1 – Determine whether either defendant, W.R. Grace or Beatrice Foods, was responsible for the toxic chemicals found in municipal wells G & H Beatrice Foods = Not Liable W.R. Grace = Liable TCE arrived in Sept Beatrice Foods = Not Liable W.R. Grace = Liable TCE arrived in Sept $8 MILLION SETTLEMENT REACHED BEFORE RE-TRIAL March – July 1986 Phase 2 – Determine whether the toxic chemicals found in wells G & H and delivered to the Plaintiffs’ residences could cause leukemia Mistrial

GOALS understanding scientific inquiry understanding scientific inquiry developing problem-solving skills developing problem-solving skills enhancing communication skills enhancing communication skills defending work and opinions defending work and opinions METHODS learn enough geology, hydrology, learn enough geology, hydrology, and aqueous chemistry to become and aqueous chemistry to become an expert witness in a mock trial an expert witness in a mock trial use data sets from real trial to solve use data sets from real trial to solve problems that become trial exhibits problems that become trial exhibits write an expert opinion write an expert opinion survive deposition survive deposition participate in mock trial participate in mock trial Honors course for science and non-science majors Honors course for science and non-science majors SCIENCE IN THE COURTROOM PREREQUISITES geology 100 or 121 geology 100 or 121 math 151 math 151 chemistry 110 chemistry 110 $15,000 to develop course

Scientific Method Initial observations Develop hypothesis Develop hypothesis File complaint File complaint Scientific community accepts or rejects hypothesis Scientific community accepts or rejects hypothesis Jury evaluation to accept or reject complaint Jury evaluation to accept or reject complaint Formulate question Suggest causation Experimentation to test hypotheses Experimentation to test hypotheses Discovery to gather information Discovery to gather information Civil Lawsuit Perceived injustice Conclusions to accept or reject hypothesis Conclusions to accept or reject hypothesis Trial to present and rebut facts and testimony Trial to present and rebut facts and testimony$ STUDY & PARTICIPATE in BOTH

Geological Sciences 451 website. Geological Sciences 451 website. Animations

Background | Plaintiffs | Defendants | Toxic Trial | Courtroom Geology | Hydrogeology | Documents | Remediation Back to Main Page The Image Gallery is a photographic account of the events before, during, and after the Woburn Trial

Field Trips OBSERVATIONS. leukemia/treatment geologic materials river & floodplain data collection Hematology, leukemia and its treatment Hematology, leukemia and its treatment James Cancer Hospital James Cancer Hospital sediment characteristics & permeability values basal till basal till county landfill sediment characteristics & permeability values sediment characteristics & permeability values aggregate quarry aggregate quarry outwash streamflow depletion due to pumping streamflow depletion due to pumping Circleville wellfield Circleville wellfield wells G & H streamflow measurements Scioto Big Run Aberjona River Aberjona River

Foundation of professional opinions SWNE Riley’s 15 acres W.R. Grace G loose materials compacted materials Aberjona River bedrock Geologic cross section Water-table maps Drawdown map 1985 TCE concentrations (non-synoptic) Data Analysis & Interpretation Streamflow depletion by wells G & H Streamflow depletion by wells G & H