The Philadelphia Inquirer gave a grasp class on journalism this week, publishing a report on the poisonous chemical compounds infused within the turf at Veterans’ Stadium, which was (not less than partially) launched by somebody coming to the belief that six former Phillies gamers all died of the identical uncommon mind most cancers.
The media will get numerous focused crap today from all angles. The proper bashes the media for reporting on issues they don’t wish to hear; the left is often upset the media isn’t reporting issues the best way they wish to see them reported; and from everybody within the center, who has simply gotten within the behavior of adopting either side’ speaking factors and blaming the media for all the pieces. However the Inquirer is out right here reminding everybody why journalism, particularly native journalism issues.
Right here’s what they discovered:
A long time after the ultimate out of the 1980 World Collection was recorded, [Tug] McGraw, [John] Vukovich, [Ken] Brett, and [Dan] Quisenberry had all died from mind most cancers.
They weren’t the one ones: In all, six former Phillies have reportedly been felled by glioblastoma — a very aggressive and lethal type of mind most cancers — together with former catcher Darren Daulton and former reduction pitcher David West, who died in 2022.
The speed of mind most cancers amongst Phillies who performed on the Vet between 1971 and 2003 is about thrice the common charge amongst grownup males.
YIKES. How did nobody begin investigating this till now? I learn the headline and the primary individuals I considered have been Darren Daulton and Tug McGraw. Looks like somebody concerned with the Phillies extra intimately ought to have began placing the items collectively a very long time in the past. However I digress.
Was it the previous turf?
So the Inquirer dug up some previous items of the turf, had them scientifically examined, and located some actually dangerous stuff.
Inquirer determined to check the Vet’s turf. Athletes had dreaded taking part in on the floor, which was infamous for inflicting severe knee and ankle accidents. By means of eBay, the newspaper bought 4 memento samples of the faux grass that had blanketed the stadium’s discipline from 1977 to 1981. The group gave away the inexperienced keepsakes to 1000’s of followers in 1982, in 4-by-4-inch sealed plastic luggage labeled “Official Turf of Champions.”
Checks run on two of the samples by Eurofins Lancaster Laboratories Environmental Testing discovered the turf contained 16 various kinds of PFAS, or per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances — so-called “eternally chemical compounds,” which the EPA has stated trigger “hostile well being results that may devastate households.”
G/O Media might get a fee
Again after we have been all making jokes about how dangerous the turf was at The Vet, we had no thought how proper we have been. A few different samples have been despatched to a different lab, which additionally discovered PFAS, although the article is fast to level out that we’ll by no means actually know the extent of PFAS the gamers have been uncovered to. Or how damaging they have been.
“As soon as PFAS will get into [a person’s] blood, they flow into by means of all of the organs,” stated Graham Peaslee, a physicist on the College of Notre Dame who has spent years finding out PFAS compounds.
“We all know that the liver is affected. We all know that the kidneys are affected. We all know the testicles are affected. However no one’s ever achieved the research to see if the mind is affected, as a result of glioblastoma is such a uncommon illness.”
I don’t wish to share greater than this, as a result of I would like individuals to go over to the Philly Inquirer and skim all the piece. And the follow-up piece. Firms and their merchandise (generally unknowingly, generally not), actually do have an effect on the standard of life for billions of individuals around the globe. And all too typically, journalists like these on the Philly Inquirer are the one ones investigating hostile impacts on that high quality of life.
As for the Phillies, right here’s what they needed to say:
In a press release, the Phillies stated the group shares “the frustration and unhappiness of shedding six members of our baseball household to mind most cancers.”
The group stated it consulted a number of mind most cancers specialists who informed the group that there isn’t a proof of a hyperlink between synthetic turf and the illness.
Shout out to Craig Calcaterra for highlighting this story in his each day e-newsletter (which is great, btw).
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