Additional Fla. children have brain tumors

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Two more children who lived in the Florida community of The Acreage have brain tumors, bringing the total to 15 to date, family members said.

The Miami Herald said Wednesday two children who previously lived in the Palm Beach County community were diagnosed with brain tumors during the last few weeks, even as state health officials attempt to discover what is behind the troubling trend.

A number of residents of The Acreage, which has an estimated population of 45,000 people, suspect the tumors may be the result of environmental pollution in area well water.

Despite such suspicions, state Department of Environmental Protection investigators found no signs of man-made contamination in 50 area water wells that were above state limits.

"This is just a little too weird for me," Becky Samarripa, whose 15-year-old daughter is among the 15 impacted children, told the Herald.

As health officials attempt to determine the cause, the parents of those stricken are simply caring for their loved ones.

"We're just taking it one day at a time," said the mother of Cynthia Santiago, a 13-year-old former Acreage resident recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. The mother's identity was not released.