Gov. Cuomo announced Wednesday that the state will conduct a health study to examine the cause of higher cancer rates on Staten Island — after borough officials complained that Mayor de Blasio didn’t act on their requests for such a study.
Staten Island will be one four clusters in the state analyzed for high incidences of cancer, the governor said.
Island officials are hopeful the state study will help determine whether the presence of the mothballed Fresh Kills landfill — once the world’s largest garbage dump — has contributed to higher cancer rates and other medical ills.
“Staten Island, in New York City, tends to be the highest. Why? There has to be an answer,” Cuomo said in upstate Glens Falls on Wednesday morning.
He was holding a similar event later on Staten Island.
Cuomo’s move comes after Staten Island legislators in May requested that de Blasio set aside $500,000 in the city budget to examine the potential health impacts of Fresh Kills.
De Blasio promised the legislators he would address the issue, but the funds weren’t set aside.
City Councilman Joseph Borelli (R-SI) said Cuomo trumped de Blasio.
”I’m glad the governor has grabbed the baton on this. It’s a good development. This is about providing answers for people,” Borelli said.
“I assumed the governor saw that I asked the mayor to do a health study and the mayor did nothing.. City Hall didn’t seem that interested.”
Borelli said he was surprised that the mayor dawdled on the issue.
“How hard is it to put $500,000 in the budget. It’s like clutching defeat from the jaws of victory,” he said.
Cuomo officials insist the focus on Staten Island was data driven, not on one-upping City Hall.
Last week, the Staten Island Advance reported on the borough’s higher cancer rates, citing state data.
The island accounted for 7.16 percent of New York City’s cancer incidences, while only accounting for 5.5 percent of the population. It cited considerably higher rates of breast cancer,
bladder cancer, pancreatic cancer and thyroid cancer than the city-wide average.
The Fresh Kills dump is not the only worry. Staten Island is home to industrial brownfields and faces oil and chemical refineries just across the Arthur Kill and Kill Van Kull waterways in New
Jersey, long cited as contributing sources of the borough’s air pollution.
Staten Island Assemblyman Matthew Titone (D-North Shore) applauded the governor’s interest.
“We have hot spots on Staten Island and not just for cancer. We have clusters for autism,” he said.
“This is a first step but only a first step,” Titone said.
Asked if Cuomo was big-footing de Blasio again, he chuckled, “If it benefits Staten Island, bring it on!”
At the governor’s direction, the state Health Department will review cancer data, potential demographic and occupational factors, and consult with the Department of Environmental Conservation on factors contributing to patterns of cancer incidences.
The study will also focus on Warren County, the Capital District and Western New York.
Cuomo said the study will be completed in one year.
Cuomo spokesman Dani Lever said the governor — whose partner Sandra Lee is a breast cancer survivor — was not one-upping the mayor.
“Cancer isn’t a political issue,” she said.
And De Blasio’s office applauded the governor’s effort.
“The health of Staten Islanders is a top priority and we appreciate the governor’s investment on the island to help ensure this area is safe. We will do everything in our power to complement and assist the state’s efforts,” said City Hall spokeswoman Olivia Lapeyrolerie.
