Teachers Fear 'Cancer Cluster' At Inwood School, Report Says

INWOOD, NY — Teachers at an Inwood school fear their building may be unsafe following the diagnosis of about a dozen staff members with various forms of cancer, according to reports.

Teachers at the three schools located in the Harold O. Levy School building on Academy Street between Broadway and Vermilyea Avenue received "cancer cluster investigation" surveys in June, the Daily News first reported. The surveys, conducted by the United Federation of Teachers, inquired about a number of teachers at the school who have fallen ill with cancer and asked questions such as how long teachers have been assigned to the building and about their doctors and hospitals, according to the report.

The survey was sent after nearly a dozen teachers at the school diagnosed with cancer had a faculty-wide discussion about why so many people at the building were getting sick, the Daily News reported. Teachers then relayed the concerns to administrators.

A Department of Education spokeswoman told the Daily News that the building's air has been tested and that a radiation test would be conducted. The spokeswoman also attempted to alleviate concerns by citing that the rate of cancer at the school is lower than the national average.

Read the full Daily News article here.