An independent report revealed recently that women employed at the Toowong site of ABC's former Brisbane studios in Australia were six times more likely to develop breast cancer than other women.

The site has been vacated. And the hunt is on -- for the cause of this unusually high rate of the disease.

No luck yet -- but new findings, while not definitive on what has caused this cluster, do indicate exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) is not a factor -- because the low frequency fields at the site were typical of other workplaces and residences, without any such cancer cluster.

Further testing will take place in an attempt to solve this on-going mystery, chronicled in the posts that follow.

ABC journalists walk out over cancer cluster concerns
Breast cancer cluster closes ABC studios in Australia
Connecting the clues in Australia cancer cluster

The ABC building in the Brisbane suburb of Toowong -- subject of a December 2006 post -- has been officially vacated following an investigation that turned up a cancer cluster among female employees.

Over the past 11 years, 10 women from this one building have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Eight of the women worked in the ABC newsroom, and most had been there for more than five years. The breast cancer risk for these women was six times higher than for the general population of women in the area. And while the investigation continues and clues are beginning to connect, the big question -- Why? -- has still not been answered.

It has been determined it is highly unlikely the increase in breast cancer was caused by exposure to radio frequency, low frequency electromagnetic radiation, or chemical contamination. According to experts, had any of these factors been at play, there would have been a rise in cancer among male employees as well as female employees. Therefore, it appears something specific to women has caused this cluster.

Perhaps clues will emerge from an analysis of lifestyle influences -- like smoking, diet, and alcohol and medication use -- and already women have answered questions pertaining to body weight, height, level of physical activity, and reproductive history.

One common theme among women is the use of oral contraceptives for periods varying from two to 18 years. Other interesting findings include the average number of babies born to the women -- 1.6 -- and the breastfeeding practices of the women -- each woman with a child breastfed for an average of 2.3 to 12 months -- and the educational background of the group -- of the 10 women, six have college degrees.

Experts says these are important factors. Early puberty, late menopause, lack of breastfeeding, use of oral contraceptives, and the trend of older mothers having fewer babies all can influence breast cancer risk. And so can level of education. Research shows increased rates of breast cancer in women with white collar jobs -- which is related to socioeconomic status and late childbearing.

Everything is important really -- because as breast cancer rates continue to skyrocket, all possible reasons need to be considered.

One in eight women in Australia will be diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 85. About 13,261 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. And it is predicted that 14,818 will be diagnosed in 2011.

An ABC news team in Australia abandoned its Brisbane radio studio yesterday after an investigation revealed there is something about the workplace causing breast cancer.

It's not clear what the cause may be, but the five-month-long investigation concluded a breast cancer cluster is related to the office environment.

Twelve women who worked at the Brisbane Toowong office had been diagnosed with breast cancer over the past 11 years. Eight of these women worked in the newsroom. Most had been there for more than five years.

ABC managing editor Mark Scott would not move his staff earlier this year when 100 staff members walked off the job in July, demanding relocation. He said it would take evidence -- not just suspicion -- of a breast cancer cluster for him to agree to relocation. Now he has evidence.

The investigation report shows women who worked at this office reported breast cancer at a rate 11 times higher than the general working community.

In addition to the relocation, all female staff at Toowong office were offered free mammograms and free counseling services during the investigation. Yesterday, Scott extended the offer to women at other ABC sites in Australia.

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?