\u201cYou would think the city would say, \u2018Well, we need to pay more attention to the smallest borough because the rate of cancer is higher there than anywhere else,\u2019\u201d Ferreri said. \u201cI think the city should be more alarmed.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Dr.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/LI5YKJT3MJBBBMDLTJQ4ADOCPA.JPG\")
Dr. Anthony Ferreri, former CEO of Staten Island University Hospital, has battled four distinct cancers and is now calling on state and city government to formally investigate why cancer rates on Staten Island are the highest among the five boroughs.(Advance\/SILive.com|Jan Somma-Hammel)<\/p>\n
While both studies acknowledged Staten Island\u2019s elevated rates compared to the rest of New York City, neither were able to directly link those rates to environmental factors, like the former Fresh Kills and Brookfield landfills, that many borough residents contend play a major role.<\/p>\n
Disappointment in the relatively narrow scope of the recent reports has prompted calls for a new longterm, comprehensive study<\/a>, though the feasibility of such a study remains a question given the expected resources and time it would require.<\/p>\n Dr. Maaike van Gerwen, a Mount Sinai researcher specializing in thyroid cancer and environmental exposures, recently told the Advance\/SILive.com that a study of that nature would cost millions of dollars and require decades of tracking participants<\/a>, which is why they\u2019re rarely conducted.<\/p>\n Until then, Staten Islanders have been left with occasional reports from government health agencies using limited data that is unlikely to produce the answers borough residents are so desperately seeking.<\/p>\n State study attempts to minimize concerns<\/p>\n One of the most recent reports, published by the New York State Department of Health in 2019<\/a>, found that Staten Island\u2019s rates were statistically significantly higher than the rest of New York City for 11 of the 17 forms of cancer that were evaluated.<\/p>\n However, researchers chose to focus solely on thyroid cancer, claiming it was \u201cthe only cancer that stood out as unusually high compared to other areas of New York state.\u201d<\/p>\n Researchers claimed it was more appropriate to compare the borough\u2019s rates to the rest New York state, excluding New York City, as opposed to the other four boroughs, with Staten Island\u2019s demographic make-up being more similar to the rest of the state than the rest of the city.<\/p>\n \u201cI know that there\u2019s a common perception that\u2019s been present on Staten Island that there\u2019s a cancer problem. Cancer is incredibly common and it\u2019s a problem all over. But really, in large part, Staten Island is not experiencing rates of cancers that are much different than we would expect based on a more appropriate comparison population,\u201d Brad Hutton, former state Department of Health deputy commissioner of public health, told residents at a public meeting following the release of the report.<\/a> <\/p>\n As a result, the report\u2019s findings and recommendations focused exclusively on the borough\u2019s rates of thyroid cancer<\/a>, essentially ignoring all other forms of cancer, despite Staten Island having various rates that were significantly higher than the rest of New York City.<\/p>\n The state\u2019s decision to zero in on thyroid cancer was a point of frustration for some residents<\/a> who believed the emphasis should have been on the more severe forms of cancer.<\/p>\n \u201cI found it very shocking that you were tasked with determining cancer on Staten Island and the high rates, but you decided to focus on thyroid cancer, as opposed to other cancers that actually are causing mortality and killing individuals,\u201d Dr. Charley Ferrer, CEO and founder of Cancer Tamer Inc, said at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a little disappointed that the study you were tasked with did not include all these other issues, especially something like breast cancer that is killing women here,\u201d Dr. Ferrer added.<\/p>\n In regard to thyroid cancer, the study found that from 2011 through 2015 rates on Staten Island were 67% higher than the rest of New York City and 69% higher than the rest of the state, excluding the city.<\/p>\n Researchers attributed the high rate of thyroid cancer on Staten Island, in part, to increases in screening, which often result in the discovery and diagnosis of asymptomatic cancers.<\/p>\n The governor\u2019s study stated that Staten Island has seen an increase in thyroid cancer screenings, with free thyroid cancer screening events<\/a> hosted by local elected officials over the years.<\/p>\n The study evaluated industrial and inactive hazardous waste disposal sites, with many Staten Islanders having voiced concerns that the Fresh Kills Landfill, along with other radioactive sites throughout the borough, could be responsible for the borough\u2019s increased cancer rates.<\/a><\/p>\n However, researchers claimed these sites play an insignificant role.<\/p>\n \u201cResearchers reviewed comprehensive reports from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. This evaluation showed no information suggesting contamination from Fresh Kills or other sites is causing widespread exposures on Staten Island,\u201d according to the study.<\/p>\n But some residents, like Jane Parisi of Oakwood, were skeptical of the assertion that environmental factors don\u2019t play a role in the borough\u2019s increased cancer rates, calling for the use of proactive testing as opposed to relying on retroactive data.<\/p>\n \u201cI hear a lot here about data, which is obviously a necessity, but it doesn\u2019t seem like anybody here is getting their hands dirty. Are you going and testing the air on the South Shore at 3 a.m.? Are you going and literally taking ground samples?\u201d Parisi asked health officials in 2019.<\/a> \u201cThere\u2019s a tremendous amount that needs to be looked at with the data, but it also needs to be accurately, physically checked.\u201d<\/p>\n City reports higher rates near landfill<\/p>\n Another report published in 2020 by the city Health Department found no cancer link<\/a> to the Fresh Kills Landfill, despite finding higher rates among the population living near the former dump. <\/p>\n![\"Cuomo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/FHDIHXNYRNHVHMPXFCD7DIGZ7Y.JPG\")
The New York State Department of Health held a public meeting on the College of Staten Island campus in July 2018 as part of a yearlong study on Staten Island’s high cancer rates.Staten Island Advance<\/p>\n![\"1981](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/T27F72CJQRBDNGV3G6V5OYQPUI.JPG\")
Staten Islanders have long worried that the former Fresh Kills Landfill contributed to the borough’s elevated cancer rates.Staten Island Advance<\/p>\n
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A map of the city’s “Fresh Kills Landfill study area” shown in green.Courtesy: Department of Health and Mental Hygiene<\/p>\n