New Jersey Expands Environmental Testing Amid Concerns Over Possible Cancer Cluster

Residents of Keyport and Union Beach, New Jersey, are pressing state officials for broader environmental testing following community reports of more than 400 cancer diagnoses near the inactive Keyport Sanitary Landfill at the Aeromarine Industrial Park. The growing reports have intensified concern that contamination associated with the former landfill may have moved into nearby neighborhoods, however, state officials have not established that the area meets the definition of a cancer cluster or that landfill contaminants caused any of the reported cancers.¹

Community Reports Prompt Calls for Action

In a July community meeting, residents honored neighbors who had died from cancer and urged the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to test beyond the landfill property. The reported cases include multiple cancer types among current and former residents of Keyport and neighboring Union Beach. Some families have experienced more than 1 diagnosis, and community members have reported dozens of cases along a single street.¹

More than 400 cases were assembled through community reporting rather than a completed state epidemiologic investigation. This distinction is crucial due to an apparent concentration of diagnoses that does not, by itself, establish a cancer cluster or identify a common cause.¹

According to the CDC, a cancer cluster is a greater-than-expected number of the same or etiologically related cancers occurring in a defined population, geographic area, and period. Investigators must assess the cancer types, patients’ ages and other characteristics, timing of diagnoses, residential histories, expected background incidence, and whether a biologically plausible exposure pathway exists.²

Contamination Is Documented, but Exposure Remains Unproven

The landfill operated during the 20th century and has a documented history of environmental contamination. Prior investigations identified contaminants at the property which included benzene and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). More recent independent testing also reportedly detected PCBs, dioxins, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), contributing to residents’ demands for additional government sampling.³

However, the presence of carcinogens at a contaminated site is not equivalent to evidence that nearby residents were exposed at a dose or for a duration sufficient to cause cancer. A credible pathway must connect the source to people through groundwater, soil, air, food, or another route.

Benzene and PCBs nevertheless warrant careful evaluation. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies benzene as carcinogenic to humans, with sufficient evidence linking exposure to acute myeloid leukemia. Other blood cancers have also been associated with benzene exposure.⁴ International Agency for Research on Cancer also classifies PCBs and dioxin-like PCBs as carcinogenic to humans.⁵ These classifications describe carcinogenic hazard; they do not demonstrate that a particular environmental source caused an individual patient’s disease.

NJDEP Moves Testing Into Nearby Neighborhoods

NJDEP had initially reported that its review had not identified a pathway by which contamination from the landfill was reaching residents. The agency has since expanded its investigation. During the week of August 17, NJDEP planned to collect groundwater and soil-gas samples from public rights of way at a minimum of 16 locations—13 in Keyport and 3 in Union Beach. The samples will be analyzed for volatile organic compounds.³

The purpose is to determine whether groundwater or soil-gas contamination could create vapor intrusion, allowing chemical vapors to enter homes or other structures. NJDEP has said it may add sampling locations as appropriate, and laboratory results are pending.³ This testing could help answer the central question currently separating the documented contamination from residents’ health concerns: Whether a pathway for human exposure extends beyond the landfill.

REFERENCES

1. Watson, C. “What are we doing?” After 400+ cancer cases reported, NJ community demands answers. NBC New York. Updated July 31, 2026. Accessed August 20, 2026. https://www.nbcnewyork.com/new-jersey/nj-town-cancer-cluster-dozens-cases/6532207/

2. About unusual patterns of cancer. CDC. May 6, 2026. Accessed August 20, 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/cancer-environment/about/index.html

3. Keyport Landfill. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Updated August 11, 2026. Accessed August 20, 2026. https://dep.nj.gov/keyportlandfill/

4. Benzene and cancer risk. American Cancer Society. Accessed August 20, 2026. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/chemicals/benzene.html

5. IARC Monographs Volume 107: Polychlorinated biphenyls and polybrominated biphenyls. International Agency for Research on Cancer. June 30, 2015. Accessed August 20, 2026. https://www.iarc.who.int/news-events/iarc-monographs-volume-107-polychlorinated-biphenyls-and-polybrominated-biphenyls/