WOBURN--Angry citizens of the town of Woburn last night received backing from a team of Harvard researchers for their suspicions that contaminated well water was responsible for the unusually high rate of childhood leukemia and birth defects in the town's population.

At a crowded town meeting, two professors from the School of Public Health (SPH) told an anxious audience of over 200 townspeople, many of whom had brought small children, that they had positively correlated the higher health risks of some Woburn residents to the amount of exposure they had had to the water.

In the period 1969-1983, the number of observed leukemia cases in the town of 36,000, located 12 miles north of Boston, was nearly two and a half times the national average.

Although the number of actual diseases attributable to the water is small, Associate Professor of Biostatistics Dr. Stephen W. Lagakos said, "any excess is too much."

Lagakos and Professor of Statistical Science Martin Zelen proceeded to describe in detail the findings of their two-year study, which is believed the first such study to be conducted jointly with community members.

The report showed that 21 percent of the water drunk by leukemia victims came from the contaminated wells, compared to 10 percent for a control group.

In addition to examining childhood leukemia, the team studied the instances of reproductive disorders, including miscarriage and stillbirth as well as other forms of cancer.

While they found no relation between the amount of exposure to contaminated water and miscarriage, they concluded there is a positive correlation for perinatal deaths (stillbirth and death within a week of birth), birth defects, including Down's syndrome, and chromosomal abnormalities.

In addition, the tainted water was responsible for some cases of respiratory, urinary, skin, and neurological disorders.

"It's kind of shocking to finally hear it," said Patricia Kane, whose son was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of two.

"He's 13 now; he's cured," she said, smiling, adding that the treatment took 10 years, including seven years of chemotherapy.

"Not too many [Wobum lcukemic] children survived," she said, adding, "I feel very, very lucky."

The citizens have been concerned for over a decade about the possible health hazards posed by the Industriplex dump site in northeastern Woburn, which was rated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the fourth worst toxic waste site in the country.

Used for over 130 years by chemical plants and tanneries for the disposal of heavy metals, organic chemicals generated by pesticides, and animal remnants, the dump has been found to contain large quantities of hazardous wastes.

The contaminated water came from two wells which were shut down in 1979 when organic wastes, including a known carcinogen, were discovered in the water.