Competition winner:
UCSD: A Cancer Cluster in the Literature Building?
| The case |
Who – the protagonistMarye Anne Fox, Chancellor of the University of California at San Diego (UCSD). A world-renowned chemist, she became the first female Chancellor of UCSD in 2004. WhatElevator and electrical equipment in the Literature Building at the university was being blamed for a possible ‘cancer cluster’ among staff who were demanding action to address the problem. Why
At least two previous requests for a study were made in 2002 and 2005 before UCSD’s Environment, Health and Safety Department completed an indoor environment and air quality assessment of the Literature Building in 2007. No ‘likely evidence’ was found of anything that might increase the incidence of cancer. A further investigation in 2008 concluded that, ‘…there is a possibility of a mild to modest increase in risk of breast cancer associated with a very small area of the first floor building in very close proximity to the electrical and elevator equipment rooms.’ WhenThe incidences of breast cancer among faculty and staff working in the Literature Building had been noted since 2000. WhereThe Literature Building, UCSD, is part of the University of California, US. Key quote‘If there is a health and safety issue in any building on this campus, I want to know about it, so I can fix the problem and protect our people.’ – Chancellor Fox, 2008 letter to Don Wayne, Chair of the Literature Department. What next?
Many faculty would no longer hold meetings or classes in the building and the university temporarily shut down the elevators pending EMF study conclusions. By February 2009, staff and students were holding an angry protest march, carrying a mock coffin and chanting slogans such as, ‘I am here to work, not get cancer’. How can Chancellor Fox respond? |
There had been eight cases of breast cancer in the Literature Building, with two women dying.
The Chair of the University Building Committee, Professor Oumelbanine Zhiri, asked the university to immediately relocate the department temporarily while requested alterations were carried out.| The author |
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Laurel C. Austin
I want students to learn how automatic, intuitive thinking biases our risk perceptions in systematic ways and to develop strategies that minimise biased thinking. In this case, we see the emotional costs to employees who are afraid of perceived health risks in the workplace, the financial cost to the university, and the personal toll on the chancellor.| Interested in finding out more? |
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UCSD: A Cancer Cluster in the Literature Building? (A Case) |
