WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) - "There's been a lot of people who have passed away from kidney cancer or other various forms of cancer and now many in the community are wondering is it because of this chemical that's in the ground watering in the soil," said Council Member Brandon Johnson.

29th and Grove is where the contamination happened almost 40 years ago from TCE being used to clean rail cars.

Why was this a secret and is this contamination killing people? This recent curiosity has been raised since the community learned of the spill from the state within the last year.

"I've never known him to smoke or do anything that would be detrimental to his health or ours yet he died with kidney cancer," said resident Aujanae Bennett of her father. Bennett said she knows of two other men in her neighborhood who lived on her same block and also died of kidney cancer.

Johnson said they are applying for a grant available for community-based organizations to help figure out what comes next.
The grant is 100 million but because it is nationwide, they will receive a small portion if approved.