"It is, of course, possible that these multiple cases are not connected to one another, but out of abundance of caution, we are looking into any environmental factors at the school that may be a factor in their diagnoses."
The Blackstone River in the United States is a river that flows through Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It is 48 mi (77 km) long with a drainage area of 475 mi² (1229 km²).[1] It drains into the Seekonk River at Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Its long history of industrial use in the watershed has caused significant pollution, with a 1990 report from the United States Environmental Protection Agency describing it as “the most polluted river in the country because of high concentrations of toxic sediments.”[2]
The Blackstone River has been significantly impacted by industrial activities and resulting pollution since the 18th century. Early industries discharged a variety of pollutants into the river, including dyes from textile mills,heavy metals and solvents from metal and woodworking industries.[10] Metals are still being measured in sediments near and adjacent to the river.[11][12]
Despite these improvements in wastewater treatment, the condition of the Blackstone River remained deplorable. In 1937, the Massachusetts State Planning Board described the Blackstone as an “industrial river,” whose industrial uses were more important than cleaning up its pollution. In 1940, Worcester reached its peak population, 195,000, the only U.S. city of its size not on the ocean or a major waterway. Total wastewater flow from the city was about 125,000 cubic meters per day (33 million gallons per day [mgd]) and comprised virtually all of the upper Blackstone River’s low flow. The wastewater included a large volume of industrial wastes, virtually entirely untreated, in addition to the city’s sanitary wastes. These industrial operations provided the most enduring legacy of pollution in the river-heavy metals including chromium and mercury from textile dyes and other metals from the wire manufacturing, metal plating, and machining operations.
goes to Google Maps
https://lemmy.today/pictrs/image/0ef32a5c-c9ef-4efb-b171-a35f4ba75c7b.png
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackstone_River
https://pure.iiasa.ac.at/id/eprint/4178/7/WP-94-031.pdf
Oh, great.