A survey of infant mortality around Hinkley Point Nuclear Power Station has shown that the risk of dying within 1 year of birth was doubled in a period following an unusual release of radiation,
Hinkley Point Nuclear Site Illegal Releases of Radiation Killed Infants
An
epidemiological study of infant and perinatal mortality, stillbirth and
breast cancer in populations living near the Hinkley Point Nuclear
power station in Somerset was published today [1]. In a 14 page paper
including risk maps, graphs and statistical data, the authors, present
results obtained through analysis of official data to examine health
indicators by distance from the radioactively contaminated estuary of
the tidal River Parratt.
The drying offshore mud bank, the Steart flats, are the repository for the historic cumulative releases of radioactivity
from Hinkley Point since 1957. In Burnham-on-Sea near the contamination
previous studies by the same group found a statistically significant
doubling of breast cancer mortality. The new research focuses on genetic
effects on birth outcomes and shows that within 6km of the
contamination there was a doubling of risk of death (1993-1998) in the
first year of life.
The trend with distance from contamination was
significant but there was no correlation with deprivation.
The main effects in the 1993-98 period
were in Burnham on Sea downwind of the reactors. There was a 4-fold
excess risk of infant mortality (RR = 4.3; p = 0.01) mainly in the first
month of life (RR = 6.7; p = 0.003 based on 4 deaths).
Sex- ratio (an
indicator of a transgenerational genetic damage effect) was also
anomalous over the whole period 1993-2005 at 1175 (boys to 1000 girls)
compared with 1055 expected.
Breast cancer mortality in Burnham on Sea
north was 70% greater than expected over the whole period (RR = 1.7 ; p =
0.001 based on 41 deaths, 24 expected).
In the whole period 1993-2005
there was an excess of infant deaths in the 11 estuary wards (24 deaths
in 3866 births) compared with 138 deaths in the 34005 births in the rest
of the area (Odds Ratio = 1.53; 0.99
This is the third recent
epidemiological paper by this group showing increases in adult cancer
near British nuclear sites; the other studies examined Bradwell in Essex
and Trawsfynydd in Wales. However, the focus of the latest study is on
genetic effects in children.
Corresponding author Prof. Christopher
Busby said: Adults and children living near nuclear sites are clearly
suffering serious adverse health outcomes from permitted releases. This
is sanctioned by the obsolete and inaccurate radiation risk model of
the International Commission on Radiological Protection ICRP. This is a
Human Rights issue. There is now enough published evidence to require
the EURATOM Basic Safety Standards Directive to be urgently overhauled
on the basis of its legal requirement for new Justification of all
practices to be carried out if new scientific evidence emerges that its
basic assumptions are wrong.
[1] Busby C et al. Infant
and Perinatal Mortality and Stillbirths near Hinkley Point Nuclear
Power Station in Somerset 1993-2005; an epidemiological investigation of
causation. http://epidemiology.jacobspublishers.com/index.php/articles-epidemology/article-in-press-epidemology
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