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Today's Poll: What is your opinion of Erin Brockovich?

By Howard B. Owens
tim raines

Whatever you categorize Ms Brockovich as......

Without her questions about the toxic spill, the Leroy School System and Leroy officials would probably never have considered potential soil contamination at the school or elsewhere, It seems the school hasn't done any soil tests.

As the EPA said.....".We dropped the ball concerning cleanup of the spill site."

And what about those natural gas wells on school property.? The school was cited in late summer for spills associated with fracking at 2 well sites.

Dead trees and burnt grass aren't good.

Feb 3, 2012, 9:00am Permalink
Doug Yeomans

Erin Brockovich is a bottom feeding sensationalist. The dailynewsonline has a news report from Dr Jennifer McVige"

Quote from the report: (media saturation not helping)

“It’s not helping anyone. I think this is exacerbating the kids’ symptoms,” said Dr. Jennifer McVige, pediatric neurologist at Dent Neurologic Institute in Amherst.

McVige said eight teenage girls her office originally saw were doing very well — they showed from 50 percent improvement to 100 percent symptom free — until the recent media frenzy.

McVige said she doesn’t understand the reactions or decisions made by some of the parents of the afflicted students.

Some do not accept Dent’s diagnosis and have appeared on national television shows saying no one has offered to help them. Several of the students had multiple appointments scheduled with Dent but failed to show up for any of them.

“They have to make a conscious decision to want to go,” McVige said.

http://thedailynewsonline.com/news/article_632d916e-4d53-11e1-9631-0018…

(Sorry if you already posted this news report, Howard. I could have easily missed it.)

Feb 3, 2012, 10:31am Permalink
tim raines

McVige: Talks to the print media and appears on TV while denouncing media coverage.

Either way...... the EPA is all over it .....years later.

Feb 3, 2012, 12:00pm Permalink
John Woodworth JR

I agree with Doug, "Erin Brockovich is a bottom feeding sensationalist." She is searching for an environmental cause so; she can lay blame and sue for her financial gain. She claims the toxic contamination from the train derailment site (1970) could be the cause of these girls' issue. Well maybe it would be if, the ground water flows west into LeRoy and not east into Caledonia and Lime Rock. Like someone stated yesterday; at least the discovery of the site has prompted some agencies to scrutinize its clean up progression.

We need to pray for the girls' health and stop making a circus out of their suffering. Local and State officials should of handle this with more diligence. I am amazed on how well MS Cox has handle this. I am disappointed that Local and State officials just sat by to let MS Cox deal with the public's concerns and watch it develop into this madness.

Feb 3, 2012, 12:14pm Permalink
Doug Yeomans

She probably made those news appearances to try and quell the hysteria surrounding the sensationalist media coverage. Is that such an irresponsible thing to do?

There's a difference between giving professional information via the news to try and allay fears and give accurate information and the likes of Erin Brockovich stirring the conspiracy soup.

Feb 3, 2012, 12:25pm Permalink
Ed Gentner

The notion of mass hysteria is a reach at best to fill the void regarding a health matter that has so far defied conventional diagnosis. If it were my children that have presented the symptoms that those children have I would want a lot more than it's a mass hysteria. The hisrory of real medical conditions being discounted or buried locally is long and rich. Think "Love Canal" and the reluctance of the authorities to acknowledge a problem buried under an elementary school yard or hundreds of homes that sat on land once beloging to a city.

Feb 3, 2012, 12:19pm Permalink
Doug Yeomans

Ed, you don't think that a pediatric neurologist who has been treating 8 of the girls for 6 months is qualified to make an accurate diagnosis? If someone who specializes in pediatric neurology isn't qualified, who is?

Edit: Her diagnosis actually "IS" a conventional diagnosis. Conversion disorder is an actual affliction.

Feb 3, 2012, 12:50pm Permalink
Kyle Couchman

Correct me if I'm wrong, a neurologist is a doctor for physical problems of the brain. A psychologist deals with how the brain interprets and relates to external stimulus. Conversion disorder is a psychological diagnosis if I am not mistaken. So having this neurologist say this is Conversion disorder is like having a chiroprator say that my back pain is from anxiety because he ruled out everything else.

Is it me or does this make no sense?

Feb 3, 2012, 1:00pm Permalink
Ed Gentner

The fact that this doctor "a pediatric neurologist" can't pinpoint the cause of a shared condition and leaps to it being psyciatric condition of mass hysteria raise more questions than it answers. I would prefer to have the Center for Disease Control (CDC) do a detailed investigation with professional opinions from several experts with a bit more experience at tracking down the causes of conditions that initially appeared mysterious and often attributed to unrelated causes. If afetr the CDC investigates and finds that this extremely rare mass psyiatric condition is the underlying problem then I will concede the point that initial diagnosis is the most likely.

Feb 3, 2012, 1:04pm Permalink
John Woodworth JR

MS Cox is allowing another environmental study to take place. However, how do you explained the fact the girls were showing significant improvement until, the media made this issue into a national circus?

Feb 3, 2012, 1:24pm Permalink
matt riggi

Can anyone prove that it's NOT conversion disorder? I've been skeptical of this diagnosis all along, like many others, but there is not solid proof at this point to prove otherwise. If these dr's are correct, Ed, then the "notion of mass hysteria is a reach at best" is a completely false statement, unless you have evidence that proves medical professionals wrong.......

Feb 3, 2012, 1:52pm Permalink
matt riggi

"Conversion disorder is a condition in which a person has blindness, paralysis, or other nervous system (neurologic) symptoms that cannot be explained by medical evaluation." From Pubmed Health.. Kyle, a neurologist is a doctor that studies "neurology" or "neurological" disorders....I assume you can see where I'm going with this....

Feb 3, 2012, 1:55pm Permalink
John Woodworth JR

"Neurologist is a doctor for physical problems of the brain. A psychologist deals with how the brain interprets and relates to external stimulus."

I would think if, the neurologists could not find a physical problem within these girls' nervous system, then it may not be a neurological issue. We are trying to link an environmental or infectious disease to these girls' symptoms which seems to be neurological in nature. So, doctors are comparing this to past issues. I do believe doctors do not know the exact causes but, when most of the girls were showing signs of improvement; then relapsed into their original state after the media and Brockovich start making this into a circus. Well then one has to wonder.

My teenage daughter and two teenage sons have attended LeRoy School since, they started. My children know some of these children. My children are okay, knock on wood but, if it was infectious or environmental causes, I would think there would be more than twelve, fifteen by now.

Feb 3, 2012, 1:57pm Permalink
Doug Yeomans

Kyle, if she's treating them in the first place, I'm sure she's qualified to make the diagnosis. I would trust her, wouldn't you?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurologist

Read that and you'll see that a neurologist is fully capable of handling and diagnosing conversion disorder. Many psychological problems manifest physically which is what we're seeing with the tics.

Feb 3, 2012, 1:59pm Permalink
Beth Kinsley

I would have had a lot more faith in Dr. Wechtler and his diagnosis if he had not tied this to the terror alert levels. That was beyond ludicrous to me. John, ask your teenagers if they are aware of what the terror alert level is right now and if it is something that they stress over.

Feb 3, 2012, 2:10pm Permalink
Doug Yeomans

Lol Beth, that one sure was a stretch on Dr Wechtler's part. I'd be more apt to believe that kids stress over what their parents stress over. If their parents are openly anxious about the economy, their job, paying bills, etc, then that's what kids would reflect on. I don't ever hear anything about the terror alert level and would have to look it up to know what it is at any given moment.

Edit: If there's anything that kids would stress over, it would be their own job outlook in the future and the tax bill they're being left with from our federal spending/borrowing. They don't have the same options that many of us did in regards to decent paying, middle class jobs with a benefits package and retirement. THAT'S something to be anxious about!

Feb 3, 2012, 2:21pm Permalink
John Woodworth JR

Beth they know more about terror alerts then most students in LeRoy. My job is anti-terrorism and resource protection. They know my duties and my kids recently endured my trip to Iraq. I do not shelter them from the dangers of the world. I have advised my children what to do in certain situations. My children understand the dangers of my job. They know why I carry handguns and rifles.

I do agree with you that DR Wechtler stating, that PTSD from terror alerts is farfetched.

Feb 3, 2012, 2:32pm Permalink
matt riggi

No Kyle, I can't....that's my point! People are throwing around all these theories like they know more than the Dr's...nobody here can prove anything. So to say that this should be done or that should be done is pure speculation. And then to say that neurologists are for physical problems of the brain proves how qualified we are to make a diagnosis..

Feb 3, 2012, 3:04pm Permalink
John Woodworth JR

:-) Yeah but, you did not know what I did for a living. Like I stated, PTSD due to terror alerts is farfetched. Americans have adapted to the terror alerts and really, if you watch the news can guess where it will go.

Feb 3, 2012, 3:04pm Permalink
matt riggi

As far as the terror alerts...he was making a reference that to this day in age kids in the u.s. have a lot more to worry about than kids in other countries (which could easily be debated). Although I understand the point he was trying to make to defend the diagnosis, it was a little bit of a ridiculous statement.

Feb 3, 2012, 3:08pm Permalink
C. M. Barons

The issue/issues is not Erin Brockovich. If anything, she is a catalyst for a situation sparked by a lack of confidence in local administration of a local crisis. If I may be so impudent as to speak for those living in the jurisdiction of the LeRoy school district... The crisis outlines three concerns: 1) Identifying the cause of the tic-related illnesses and restoring the health of those afflicted, 2) Assessing and remediating toxic environmental issues discovered in the course of investigating the tic-related illnesses and 3) restoring faith and trust in local and state agencies/individuals responsible for the health/safety of the community.

Feb 4, 2012, 1:23am Permalink
John Woodworth JR

Matt your statement about the kids in the U.S. having a lot more to worry about than kids in other countries. What world are you in. If, anything it is the other way around in most cases and the same level in other cases.

Feb 3, 2012, 3:15pm Permalink
matt riggi

John- reread my post. I didn't state that, the Dr did, and I said that it was easily debatable...u misunderstood my post. Read it again

Feb 3, 2012, 3:18pm Permalink
matt riggi

John- I agree with you. But the way I understood the interview with the Dr, that was the point he was trying to make...he compared the problems of kids in the u.s. to kids in some other country, I forget which one exactly. Search for the interview online. Like I said, I understand the point he may have.been trying to make, it just sounded really ridiculous.

Edit: just so were clear, I understand what he was trying to say, but that doesn't mean I agree. Lol

Feb 3, 2012, 3:29pm Permalink
Beth Kinsley

His quote was:

“Ever since 9/11, Americans have been subjected to warnings of orange alert and red alert, and, unlike Israelis for instance, they are not culturally used to it,” says Mechtler. “What has happened to these girls is the result of Americans being made to live in fear. We are going to see more of these outbreaks.”

http://www.theweek.co.uk/health-science/44544/ny-schoolgirls-hysteria-d…

Feb 3, 2012, 3:43pm Permalink
matt riggi

Kyle wrote "... having a chiroprator say that my back pain is from anxiety...". A few members of my family, as well as myself, suffer from chronic back pain, so that statement got me thinking....I did a little research and turns out anxiety can cause back pain.

Feb 3, 2012, 3:46pm Permalink
John Woodworth JR

DR Mechtler statement is right as far as Americans not being culturally used to it like the Israelis. However, I have not seen many Americans living in fear due to terror alerts. Americans have become more complacent over the past decade. Americans are generally oblivious to terror alerts. Even when we do have alerts they involve bigger targets like New York City and tourist locations.

I am not saying American are not aware of the potential threat. I am saying that, to use terror alerts as the source of their stress is ridiculous . LeRoy has within the last year focus on Active Shooters scenarios in where they locked down the school in case someone breaches the school's premises and starts shooting for whatever reason. Over the past couple of decades Active Shooter incidents have grown and this would be more of a source for their stress then terror alerts.

Feb 3, 2012, 4:05pm Permalink
RICHARD L. HALE

The problem is.........withdrawl symptoms from lack of Pontillo's pizza.

If I'm right....you're next Batavia.....

Feb 4, 2012, 12:49am Permalink
Frank Bartholomew

APOV, How would everyone feel if the school district indirectly accuses these girls of faking, and conspired
with each other to carry out a hoax???
The parents would be outraged, and most likely the community. The media would feast.
Lets try and be patient, let the real proffesionals answer for themselves, at each level of this investigation.
We always want answers, but in the end, we need to hear the truth, from all involved.

Feb 4, 2012, 10:35am Permalink
Mark Potwora

What is your opinion of Erin Brockovich.....I believe whether you like her or not...If it wasn't the the national press she brought to this story..Those TCE barrels would still be just sitting there..Now all of a sudden its a big deal to the EPA to get them out of there...Must be something in them,...Just heard this morning Waste Management was going to take them to a dump in erie county...Locals found out,This dump is near a school in Lewiston,NY and now the EPA is moving them to another site....Glad to see that the problem is being dealt with after 40 years..Talk about slow moving government..

Feb 4, 2012, 12:28pm Permalink

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