Mystery Cancer Cluster Sparks Fear in New Jersey Town Near Long-Abandoned Toxic Landfill

A Growing Concern in Keyport, New Jersey

In the small, coastal town of Keyport, New Jersey, a long-standing issue has sparked fear and frustration among residents. A former toxic landfill, which has been left unsealed for over 40 years, is now suspected of being the cause of a cancer cluster affecting dozens of people and even pets in a single block.

Ginger Morris, a lifelong resident of Keyport, has witnessed the impact of this issue firsthand. She recalls how her mother suffered from skin cancer, and her neighbor across the street had brain cancer. Her backyard neighbor underwent a “Wiffle surgery” due to cancer, and seven houses in a row on her street were affected.

Morris’s son, concerned about the pattern of illness, began mapping out the cases in their neighborhood. What he found was alarming: a total of 41 cancer cases, with 28 of them concentrated on one street alone.

Residents believe the source of the problem lies in the shuttered Aeromarine landfill. They have repeatedly called on the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to address the situation since the landfill closed in 1979. However, they feel that little has been done over the years.

“We knew the dump closed in 1979,” Morris said. “Why did it take until 2010 to do something or test it? And 16 years later, you still haven’t done anything.”

Alex Craft, another Keyport resident, understands the struggle all too well. She was diagnosed with leukemia as a child in California, and doctors later linked her illness to toxins in her neighborhood. Now living in Keyport, she is determined to prevent the same fate from befalling others.

“I lived through this stuff once. I’m not doing it again,” Craft said. “And I’m not going to let the people of my community live through it, either.”

She believes the presence of a cancer cluster in Keyport is a clear sign of a serious issue. “People have been dying in this community for generations,” she said. “What do we pay taxes for? Why does the NJDEP exist if not to handle things exactly like this?”

New Testing and Skepticism

After years of pressure from residents, the NJDEP has finally decided to conduct new environmental testing of the landfill, starting in May. The last round of testing took place in 2010, when several contaminants—including benzene, arsenic, lead, vinyl chloride, and PCBs—were detected. Despite these findings, the department never identified a clear pathway by which residents could have been exposed to the toxins and took no further action.

When asked about the potential risks during an exclusive interview, NJDEP chief strategy officer Katie Angarone stated, “The presence of contaminants does not necessarily mean that it is reaching people through a pathway.”

However, independent testing expert and EPA whistleblower Scott Smith is skeptical. He has visited the site to conduct his own tests, focusing on dioxins, SPOCs, PCBs, and toxic metals.

“We’re going to test for everything,” Smith said. When asked what he expects to find, he responded, “I think this is going to be really bad because we have one street with 28 confirmed cases of cancer and eight dead dogs. You don’t need my testing to know that there’s a serious issue here.”

Community Frustration and Calls for Action

Despite the new testing, Keyport residents remain deeply frustrated. They feel that the NJDEP has been slow to act and that their concerns are not being taken seriously.

“I have zero faith that without community pushback and without us standing up to this frankly corrupt organization, there is zero chance that they are actually gonna do anything about it,” Craft said.

Morris echoed these sentiments, urging the authorities to take immediate action. “Stop doing the dance,” she said. “Because they’re just dancing around it. Why? Fix it. That’s it. Just fix it. That’s all we want. Fix it.”