Tungsten still eyed in Fallon cancer cluster probe

RENO, Nev. (AP) - The metal tungsten remains at the center of research into a mysterious Fallon leukemia cluster that sickened 17 children and killed three of them between 1997 and 2004.

Researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno, the University of Arizona and the University of California, San Francisco on Thursday presented final reports on studies into the outbreak.

The three years of research was funded by $700,000 in federal grants obtained by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on behalf of Fallon families affected by the outbreak.

Researchers are looking for possible environmental causes of the cluster and say more research into the effects of tungsten exposure is needed.

Tungsten has been found in greater concentrations in the Fallon area's water, air and people than elsewhere in Nevada.