CANCER MORTALITY NEAR OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEE

Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is the site of one of the two oldest nuclear facilities in the United States. Although precise records have not been maintained, low levels of radioactive products have been released into the environment since the facility began operation in World War II. Changes in age-adjuste...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of health services 1994-01, Vol.24 (3), p.521-533
Main Author: Mangano, Joseph J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air Pollution, Radioactive - adverse effects
Cancer
Environmental Exposure
Factors
Fallout
Humans
Mortality
Mortality Rates
Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced - mortality
Nuclear installations
Nuclear Reactors
Nuclear safety
Section on Environmental Health
Tennessee
Tennessee - epidemiology
U.S.A
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Summary:Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is the site of one of the two oldest nuclear facilities in the United States. Although precise records have not been maintained, low levels of radioactive products have been released into the environment since the facility began operation in World War II. Changes in age-adjusted cancer mortality rates for whites between the periods 1950-1952 and 1987-1989 were analyzed to assess whether these radioactive releases have had any adverse effects on the population living near Oak Ridge. Results indicate that the increases in the local area (under 100 miles from Oak Ridge) exceeded regional increases and far exceeded national increases. Within the region, increases were greatest in rural areas, in Anderson County (where Oak Ridge is located), in mountainous counties, and in the region downwind of Oak Ridge. Each of these findings suggest that low levels of radiation, ingested gradually by local residents, were a factor in the increases in local cancer death rates. Results indicate that more studies of this type are called for and that cessation of all future radioactive emissions from nuclear facilities should be considered.
ISSN:0020-7314
1541-4469
DOI:10.2190/MC2B-10V1-5UCY-LVUP