In 11 years, ABC management is claiming that nine women from the Brisbane Toowong studios have been diagnosed with breast cancer. A Brisbane law firm is claiming as many as 12 women have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Either way, the staff and journalists have come to the conclusion they are working in the midst of a cancer cluster and the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance union who represents them wants the offices relocated by the end of next week. In the meantime, the union does not believe any of the staff should be forced to return to work until the offices are relocated. But ABC management is saying independent surveys have shown there is no link between the incidence of breast cancer and the workplace. When Queensland Health investigated, they called the high incidence of breast cancer cases excessive, but stopped short of calling the circumstances the result of a cancer cluster. Let's see. The mother of two in her early 30s -- who was forced to undergo a mastectomy last week -- was the 12th woman to be diagnosed with breast cancer -- and the seventh to work in the same room at the Toowong studios.
What is the distinction made by Queensland Health, between cancer excess and cancer cluster? Would you continue working in an environment where a high number of cancer cases seem to be keep occurring?
