In the small industrial city of Franklin, Indiana dozens of children have been diagnosed with blood, bone and rare brain cancers. That's nearly half of the children diagnosed with cancer in Johnson County since 2008.
13 Investigates first made the alarming link between high pediatric cancer rates and the city of Franklin in 2015, after a group of desperate mothers came forward questioning why their children were getting sick and dying.
13 Investigates discovered at that time contamination had forced the shutdown of the city’s well field.
Additional contaminated sites were also identified.
Since 2015, mothers behind the not-for-profit "If It Was Your Child" and 13 Investigates have worked to keep the plight of these children in the forefront.
It wasn't until the summer of 2018 when 13 Investigates broke the story about toxic vapors detected in several Franklin homes that federal, state and local government agencies finally took real action.
It started when the Edison Wetlands Association (EWA), a not-for-profit organization out of New Jersey conducted an initial round of vapor testing in Franklin.
Desperate for Answers: Testing for Toxins takes you inside the contamination crisis and shows you how federal, state and local government agencies are responding, and where there's a need for more action.
It's the first time a serious coordinated investigation is taking place that is providing answers to the families of sick children in Johnson County, and more specifically - Franklin.
Homeowners and families filing suit in Franklin claim the owners of the old Amphenol and Franklin Power Products sites released toxic chemicals into the ground and...Read more
The Office of the Inspector General has issued a "Management Alert" to the EPA office handling risk communication involving toxins in Franklin.Read more
A new sampling report released Wednesday says the Environmental Protection Agency likely missed more homes exposed to toxic vapors in Franklin.Read more