"Website Publicizes Cancer Map, Environmental Data"

"BINGHAMTON  -- A pair of [New York] state legislators on Wednesday showed an improved version of a website mapping cancer instances statewide as well as buildings and other facilities holding chemicals, gases or producing air emissions.

Sen. Thomas W. Libous, R-Binghamton, and Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, D-Endwell, both sponsored a bill, originally passed in 2008 and amended this year, calling for the creation of the site. It relies on information from the state Department of Health, Department of Environmental Conservation and the U.S. Census Bureau to show statistics specific to neighborhoods.

'It's the first time where people can see health data and environmental data on top of each other,' Lupardo said. 'A lot of times in state government, those separate silos are operating independently, and what was very important about this effort was to be able to blend those two in one place.'

On the website, users can type in a land address and instantly see areas of environmental concern, as well as instances of specific types of cancer in each Census section. In addition to the storage facilities, the map also shows brownfield and superfund sites."

Jon Campbell reports for the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin August 18, 2010.