The School Poisoning Tragedy in Caledonia, Ohio

by James Van Keuren

In the early 1960s, the River Valley Local School District built its middle school, its high school and its athletic fields in the former Marion Engineer Depot. During World War II, the depot had used the land for heavy equipment rehab, military artillery practice, materials storage, burial of construction debris and burning of waste materials and fuels. In 1997, a River Valley High School nurse grew concerned about the high rate of leukemia and other cancers in graduates. Then a stunning news report announcing a 122 percent increase in death rates over thirty years in the Marion area sparked an investigation. Was the land to blame? The question of what may have been known about the contaminates on the school grounds sent shock waves through the community that still linger today.

160 pages, Paperback

Published February 22, 2021

Reviews

[Lori Shafer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. It was not what I expecting. However, it had some excellent parts.

The book covers the investigation and results of contaminated land where schools were built in Caledonia, Ohio. A true account of how this contamination resulted in a large increase in cancer rates among the students who attended those schools.

Van Keuren takes a look at the facts. He uses graphics, statistics, and photographs to explain what happened and why. He does a good job of explaining the facts simply but well. If you are looking for a analysis of the whole event, this book is good for that.

Personally, I wish there were more information about the students and other people effected by the contamination. I guess I was looking for a different type of book. I wanted a more personal approach rather than a statistic data driven approach.

The author does mention some of the students who have been negatively affected by the poisoning. He also mentions some of the residents who were also involved. However, this part was not as I would have preferred.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a River Valley graduate, I was really hoping this book would be a better record of what happened. Unfortunately, the author's attempt to leave out the science and math associated with the research leaves this book significantly lacking in detail. Additionally, when he does try to bring in minor examples of statistisc, they are used improperly, imparting an almost conspiracy theory vibe to the book. Don't get me wrong. i know this happened and likely contributed to health issues among RV graduates, but it needed to be done better.

[Danielle Farrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This situation was so sad. I vaguely remember it when I graduated but I do remember. This book was very repetitive and I felt like I was reading the same few chapters over and over. It did get its point across because I was so angry and sickened with the whole situation.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like a research paper, but very interesting