ground zero for polycythemia vera in the free world, or in the world in general, was betty and lester kester. when betty kester died, she had decided to donate her body to science for the investigation. >> her body tissues eventually found their way here to dr. ronald hoffman's lab in mt. sinai hospital in new york city. he has spent nearly 40 years studying pv. >> there were too many patients with polycythemia vera in that-- in that area than one could account for. whether the environment or toxins in the environment lead to an increased risk of polycythemia vera is unknown. that's really an area of research and also speculation. the problem is that there are multiple toxic compounds that are in the ground and also in the air in this area, and to prove a one-to-one relationship is going to be very, very tough. in this area, there were a lot of super-fund sites and coal mines. so, you know, they weren't here, they weren't there. they were here. and that was the concern. and that's the concern in my mind to this day. it's a question mark. i don't have the answer to this. i'm not a statisticia