Four Phils and brain cancer: Connection or coincidence?

A) Who would pay you to do the study and who would oppose it?
I would assume that the Philadelphia Phillies would pay for this study to erase any
doubt that they were responsible or had knowledge of what caused such a bad
situation for these participants of the Philadelphia organization. In addition, I
would think that the families want to get to the bottom of it. If there is a law suit
pending, legal counsel would pay for such studies. If any of the cancer patients
are still living, Darren Daulton, I would interview them on their lifestyle and
association with the other if possible. Opposing it would probably be the turf
company because the synthetic chemicals that are engrained into the turf, are
chief suspect. In addition, the owner of the Veterans Stadium would also not pay
for a study. Another possibility is that they stadium was built with asbestos. If
the owners were aware of this and did nothing about it from the beginning, they
can be liable. Maybe that is why they leveled it, not to show any evidence of
asbestos.
B) How do you go about it tactfully?
First of all, there can be a lot of emotion and confusion from all parties, therefore,
be empathetic to parties involved. Be a good listener even for the most difficult
people. Look at the person or persons directly to make sure your expression and
tone of voice are sincere. Never patronize or belittle the person. Show the person
that you are on their side and want to resolve the issue at hand. My mother
always said you get more bees with honey than vinegar. Be grateful for their
patience and promise that you will do everything to get to the bottom of the
problem. Leave your ego at the door. But, most importantly, do your research so
you sound educated and informed about the situation.
According to this article, they really have no definitive answers as how these
Phillies players got the brain cancer. Being that there is more than a coincidence
for this case, I would start with the structure of the stadium where they played
ball from the years of 1983-1993.


c) Who are the specific groups you would be interested in collecting data from
and how will we attain information?
There is speculation that the artificial turf applies chemical that is a carcinogen.
The black, pellet-like substance, Styrene Butadiene Rubber is the predominant
constituent of artificial fields. This comes from recycled tires, which 11 states have
banned from landfills. Therefore, I would look at studies performed by Scientists
on this particular chemical linked to cancer. Is the potential for these toxins to be
inhaled or absorbed through the skin hazardous? Moreover, can it be linked to
brain cancer? Also, I would like to look at the builders of the Stadium to see if
asbestos was used in the building. Information today can be readily available from
the internet sites. I would make sure they are credible of course. Blue prints are
also available, they are filed. If there is no information in them that would
indicate if asbestos was placed, I would try to contact the builder and start from
there.

D) Before collecting the data brainstorm about all possible causes of such
pattern.
There can be many causes for this type of cancer. However, the question is, what
is the common bond that links all these people with brain cancer together? Is
there a particular tobacco that they used? In the early 80s, steroids were used as
a tool for efficiency of play. How about concussions? Is there a linkage to
concussions and brain tumors? The chemicals used in preserving the tobacco,
polonium. This element is radioactive and absorbed from phosphate fertilizers.
Without filters, 45% of this element is ingested into the lungs and has been linked
to brain cancer. Many possibilities have been speculated. The common area of
all, is where we need to begin.