A case study in the deadly phenomenon of "cancer clusters"--i.e., towns, neighborhoods, or regions where an unusual number of residents are stricken with cancer--filmmaker Amie Williams' straightforward documentary follows residents of the titular town as they hope and pray and demand answers to the questions surrounding 16 children who contracted a rare form of leukemia in a two-year period (three have died). The evenhanded, affecting, PBS-aired Fallon, NV: Deadly Oasis explores several possible industrial and environmental causes, with the evidence ultimately pointing most strongly to the jet fuel piped through town for fighter planes at an elite Navy school nearby (the same one from Top Gun). Hearings are held, whistleblowers are interviewed, studies are conducted, and Navy denials are damaged by the evidence of a covered-up fuel spill on the base that once burned for five days with significant health repercussions. And it turns out that Fallon has its own Erin Brockovich in the form of one astute young girl who became a true expert on the mysterious problem after her best friend died. "It's made me mad," she says, while researching jet fuel toxicity on the web, "so we're going to try to put two and two together and figure out what [the problem] is." A moving portrait of one community's response to an environmental health crisis, this is recommended. [Note: this is also being sold on home video for $29 on VHS and $39 on DVD directly from the producer at www.balmaidenfilms.com.] Aud: C, P. (R. Blackwelder)
Fallon, NV: Deadly Oasis
(2004) 57 min. VHS or DVD: $175. Bal-Maiden Films (dist. by New Day Films). PPR. Color cover. ISBN: 1-57448-104-5. Volume 20, Issue 2
Fallon, NV: Deadly Oasis
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