The Closure of Great Kills Park Due to Radium-226
Great Kills Park was once a go-to place for Staten Island residents until radiological contamination was discovered in 2005. Read our findings on how dangerous the radiation exposure is.
Group members: Shirley Chan, Jessica Taft, Samuel Faynleyb, Michelle Wong
Our project focuses on one of Staten Island’s most scenic parks and the unfortunate closure of over half of its grounds due to radium contamination. Home to a plethora of flora and fauna and bordering a vast residential neighborhood, we explored the potential dangers caused by the radiation and how prevalent the issue is today, over a decade after the initial closure.
My name is Christina Ruggiano I used to go to Great Kills Park fishing in the area wear this Radiation has been detected. I would be there for many years with my son when he was a toddler and on. I have recently been diagnosed with Thyroid cancer and now under further tests have shown my B Cell Surface Cell CD Markers are showing positive for a possible Leukemia/Lymphoma still being confirmed with more tests. The public should be very concerned in this area of Staten Island. I would love to speak with environmental advocates about this it can’t be a coincidence that on my block alone minimum 3 others have had or died from different cancers over the years. I think this exposure has been able to change over time of this exposure with our RNA and DNA and we need more to be done. If there is a Class Action Lawyer out there please contact me. I’m sure they can find many many families with these clinical diagnosis.