Elevated Cancer Rates Not Found Near Peabody Plant: State Report

PEABODY, MA — An analysis of cancer rates in the area surrounding the Rousselot gelatin facility on Washington Street in Peabody revealed no substantial variations from state averages, according to a Massachusetts Department of Public Health report.

The state DPH conducted the analysis at the request of Peabody officials. Based on the information gathered, the DPH said it is recommending that no further evaluations are necessary of cancer information in relation to the area.

The Peabody Department of Public Health reported the full findings here.

In the report, the state DPH found that over a 10-year span from 2006 to 2015 there were a variety of cancer types diagnosed among residents from the area, but that there were no unusual patterns compared to the general public.

The report said the most common cancer types were consistent with statewide averages, and that the ages at the time of diagnosis and cell types of the cancers "generally followed what would be expected for each cancer type."

Though quantitative analyses of rates were not possible, the state said the distribution of the cases did not appear unusual.

Additionally, preliminary data from 2016 and 2017 showed "no unusual patterns in the cancer types, ages at the time of diagnosis, histologies or spatial distribution."

"Based on this qualitative review, DPH recommends no further evaluation of cancer information," the state DPW said.

In 2019, nearby residents sued the gelatin plant about what they called noxious fumes coming from the plant that some residents said made them sick, made it impossible to spend time outdoors on warm days and resembled the smell of "rotting flesh."

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)