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Official statistics show 2001-2005 thyroid cancer rates in counties closest to Indian Point are nearly double the U.S.
/PRAvenueNW/ -- Rates of thyroid cancer in four counties in the lower Hudson Valley are among the highest in the nation. These same counties are in direct vicinity to the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant, owned by the Entergy Corporation. The annual U.S. rate of 8.9 per 100,000 persons is exceeded in New York’s Rockland, Putnam, Orange, and Westchester Counties (18.3, 18.0, 16.6, and 12.6, or 106%, 102%, 87%, and 42% higher). About 300 residents in these counties are diagnosed with thyroid cancer each year. Are Indian Point pollutants contributing to the higher rates of cancer being experienced by area residents?
A fast, inexpensive test that determines elevated thyroid stimulating hormone, an indicator that the thyroid gland may be under stress, will be available at a public event later this month. The ThyroChek testing program will examine if persons living near the Indian Point nuclear plant have higher than normal levels of TSH.
The test uses a drop of blood from a finger stick to determine whether the level of thyroid stimulating hormone is normal, in just 10 minutes.
The test will be available at the Clearwater Festival in Croton-on-Hudson, in Westchester, New York, the weekend of June 20-21.
Screening Devices Canada, which manufactures the FDA regulated test in California, will have professional staff available to explain the importance of thyroid health, administer the test, and provide results on the spot. The cost is $10.
Two national celebrity figures have been working on the relationship between public health and nuclear power plants for many years. The actor Alec Baldwin and supermodel Christie Brinkley. Both Baldwin and Brinkley will be available for phone interviews about this subject.
Alec Baldwin
"I am concerned that high cancer rates may be influenced by radioactive emissions from nuclear power plants. It is only through public education, supported by solid scientific research, that we will be able to create a safe environment and healthy future for our children."
Christie Brinkley
"What is the cost to our children? I want a safer, saner future for my children."
Information from the two day testing program may provide indicators on whether emissions from the Indian Point nuclear reactors are affecting the thyroid glands of people who live in the vicinity. The percent of tests indicating elevated TSH in local residents will be compared with results of other populations living far from reactors. Indian Point produces and emits radioactive iodine particles; when they enter the body, they attack thyroid cells, leading to cancer and other problems like hypothyroidism.
“ThyroChek is an easy way to study a serious public health issue,” says Joseph Mangano, Executive Director of the Radiation and Public Health Project. He adds there are no standard screening programs for thyroid health in the U.S., even though the rate of thyroid cancer has nearly tripled since 1980. Experts believe that hypothyroidism rates have soared as well. No single blood test can determine thyroid cancer but a TSH test may be used to evaluate the thyroid's activity and test for hypothyroidism, a common disease of the thyroid. There are about 30 million Americans with hypothyroidism, a disease that if not detected and treated may lead to cardiac disease, reproductive issues, mental health concerns, obesity and a variety of autoimmune diseases.
The very same tests that will be performed in New York’s Hudson Valley this month may also work in other areas nationwide for residents who live nearby nuclear power plants.
"As a local family practice physician, I see a high number of people with thyroid disorders," says Susanne Saltzman MD. "When I discovered that nuclear power plants routinely emit radioactive iodine, which damages thyroid tissue, I became very concerned that Indian Point might be contributing to the higher rates of thyroid problems in the Hudson River Valley. Studies must be done to evaluate health effects of living near and downwind from Indian Point."
Sharon Cunningham, president of Screening Devices Canada welcomes the opportunity to test at the Clearwater Festival. “By providing results on the spot, we will be able to educate on the importance of thyroid health and how the environment can affect it. More about thyroid health testing can be obtained from the company’s website, www.thyrochek.com.
Mangano says RPHP, which is a New York-based research group, plans to analyze the data, and announce results in the near future. More information on the Clearwater Festival is available at www.clearwater.org.
Joe Mangano is available for advance interviews by phone or in person in advance of this event. Dr. Susan Saltzman will be available for interviews as well. Please contact me if you are interested in speaking with any of the experts or, if you would like more information on the event.
Thanks-
Denise Hughes
_______________________________________
Denise A. Hughes
Director, Creative-Connectors
Phone: 917.549.2621
E-mail: Denise@creative-connectors.com
www.creative-connectors.com
Working to Creatively Connect Change-Makers
________________________________________
THYROID CANCER INCIDENCE, 2001-2005
COUNTIES NEAR INDIAN POINT NUCLEAR PLANT vs. OTHER NY STATE
Category % Above Other NYS
Males +46%
Females +48%
Age 0-24 +15%
Age 25-44 +56%
Age 45-64 +52%
Age 65 and over +32%
Whites +43%
Blacks +23%
Hispanics +43%
White non-Hispanics +46%
Rockland County +85%
Putnam County +82%
Orange County +68%
Westchester County +27%
TOTAL FOUR COUNTIES +47%
Source: U.S Centers for Disease Control, www.statecancerprofiles.cancer.gov, incidence
EXPERT BIOGRAHIES:
ALEC BALDWIN
Alec Baldwin is a graduate of New York University, and an accomplished actor in film, theatre, and television. He has long been involved in public issues, including health and the environment. For nearly a decade, he has devoted much time to the issue of radiation health risks. He was a Board member of the Long Island-based Standing for Truth About Radiation, which helped in the permanent closing of nuclear reactors at the Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Mr. Baldwin has been a long-time supporter of the Radiation and Public Health Project research group, especially in its study of radioactive Strontium-90 in baby teeth. He has taken a particular interest in the Oyster Creek nuclear reactor and has made numerous visits to the Garden State to speak out publicly against the hazards of keeping it running. He is also interested in the Indian Point reactor in New York’s Hudson Valley.
CHRISTIE BRINKLEY
Christie Brinkley joined RPHP's Board of Directors in December 2008. For many years she has been involved in environmental causes, with a particular interest in radiation exposure and risk to children. She was previously a Board member of Standing for Truth About Radiation, and is a current Board member of the Global Security Institute.
Christie Brinkley has a long history with RPHP. She made appearances or sent written material on behalf of the RPHP study of Strontium-90 in baby teeth in Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut. As the recipient of a "Smart Cookie" award from Cookie Magazine in April 2008, she named RPHP as one of her two favorite non-profit organizations. Click here to see a video clip of Christie.
Read more about Christie Brinkley and her accomplishments by reading her biography at her website. Click here
DR. SUSAN SALTZMAN, M.D.
Susanne Saltzman, M.D., graduate of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, has a family practice in Hartsdale, NY (Westchester County) and Spring Valley, NY (Rockland County). She uses a combination of conventional and complementary/alternative medicine to treat a wide range of conditions including thyroid disorders, especially in women. For several years now, Dr. Saltzman has been increasingly concerned with the growing numbers of thyroid problems as well as the alarming rates of cancer she sees in the Hudson valley area.
Several years ago, she read a book entitled “The Enemy Within: The High Cost of Living Near Nuclear Reactors” by Dr. Jay Gould, former member of the EPA Science Advisory Board. The book gives concise detailed information on the routine and accidental emissions of radioactive substances from nuclear power plants throughout the country. Dr. Gould’s research shows that women living within 100 miles of nuclear reactors are at the greatest risk of dying of breast cancer.
When Dr. Saltzman discovered that there are routine and accidental emissions of radioactive iodine from nuclear plants (which specifically damages thyroid tissue), she was concerned that this may be contributing to the alarming rates of thyroid disorders in Rockland and Westchester counties. It was then that she joined the Radiation and Public Health Project to assist in research on the health effects of living downwind from nuclear power plants. The Radiation and Public Health Project’s Baby Teeth Study is the first US study to measure radioactivity in those living near nuclear reactors. Once sufficient data is collected, it will further evaluate whether those living near nuclear reactors are at greater risk of cancer.
JOSEPH J. MANGANO, MPH MBA
Joseph Mangano is a health researcher and Executive Director of the Radiation and Public Health Project, which conducts research and education on health risks of nuclear reactors. He has served RPHP since 1989. He has published 23 articles in medical journals, and is author of the books “Low Level Radiation and Immune System Damage: An Atomic Era Legacy” (1998), “Radioactive Baby Teeth: The Cancer Link (2008), and “The Enemy Within: The High Cost of Living Near Nuclear Reactors” (1996). His work found a consistent pattern of increased cancer rates after nuclear reactor startup, and decreased rates after shut down.
Mr. Mangano played a major role in the RPHP study of Strontium-90 in baby teeth, the only study of radioactivity in bodies near U.S. nuclear plants. The study found the highest Sr-90 levels closest to plants (especially in children with cancer) and rising levels since the 1980s.
Mr. Mangano has participated in numerous press conferences and presented testimony to 18 government panels. He has also written dozens of op-eds and letters in U.S. newspapers in 2006-2009, most of them discussing the health risks of building new nuclear reactors. He received master’s degrees in public health from the University of North Carolina and in business administration from Fordham University.
EDUCATION:
MBA in Management, Fordham University, New York NY, 1985
MPH in Health Administration, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill NC, 1978
BA in Political Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC, 1976
MEDICAL JOURNAL ARTICLES, author or co-author (16):
"Childhood Leukemia Incidence Near Nuclear Power Stations in Pennsylvania USA as a Function of Proximity and Wind Direction." Currently under review.
"Geographic Variation in U.S. Thyroid Cancer Incidence and a Cluster Near Nuclear Reactors in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania." Accepted for publication, late 2009, International Journal of Health Services.
"Excess Mortality After Startup of a Nuclear Power Plant in Mississippi," International Journal of Health Services, spring 2008.
“A Short Latency Between Radiation Exposure From Nuclear Plants and Cancer In Young Children,” International Journal of Health Services, winter 2006.
"Three Mile Island: Health Study Meltdown," Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, summer 2004.
"An Unexpected Rise in Strontium-90 in U.S. Deciduous Teeth in the 1990s," The Science of the Total Environment, Winter 2004.
"Elevated Childhood Cancer Incidence Proximate to U.S. Nuclear Power Plants," Archives of Environmental Health, Spring 2003.
"Infant Death and Childhood Cancer Reductions After Nuclear Plant Closing in the U.S.," Archives of Environmental Health, Spring 2002.
“Strontium-90 in Baby Teeth as a Factor in Early Childhood Cancer,” International Journal of Health Services, Fall 2000.
“Strontium-90 in Newborns and Childhood Disease,” Archives of Environmental Health, Fall 2000.
“Improvements in Local Infant Health After Nuclear Power Reactor Closing,” Journal of Environmental Epidemiology and Toxicology, Spring 2000.
"The Strontium-90 Baby Teeth Study and Childhood Cancer," European Journal of Oncology, Fall 2000.
"A Rise in the Incidence of Childhood Cancer in the U.S.," International Journal of Health Services, Spring 1999.
"A Post-Chernobyl Rise in Thyroid Cancer in Connecticut," European Journal of Cancer Prevention, February 1996.
"Cancer Mortality Near Oak Ridge, Tennessee," International Journal of Health Services, Summer 1994.
“Cancer in Baseball Players: A New Outbreak?” Pesticides, People, and Nature, Summer 2000.
LETTERS TO MEDICAL JOURNALS (6):
“Childhood Leukemia Near U.S. Nuclear Plants,” European Journal of Cancer Care, accepted (publication expected 2008).
"Answering the Challenge," (reply to Sen. Pete Domenici), Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 7/98.
"Low-Level Radiation Harmed Humans Near Three Mile Island," Environmental Health Perspectives, 8/97.
"Childhood Leukaemia in U.S. May Have Risen Due to Fallout From Chernobyl," BMJ, 4/19/97.
"Chernobyl and Hypothyroidism," Lancet, 5/25/96 and 8/17/96 (response to comment).
"Thyroid Cancer in the United States Since Accident at Chernobyl," BMJ, 8/19/95
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS (4):
"Elevated Cancer Rates Near U.S. Nuclear Plants." In Criticisms and Developments in the Assessment of Radiation Risk. Aberystwyth, Wales: European Commission on Radiation Risk, publication expected summer 2009.
"Chernobyl Emissions Linked to a Variety of Adverse Health Effects in the U.S." In Kohnlein W and Nussbaum R (eds.): Effects of Low Dose Ionizing Radiation. Muenster, Germany: German Society for Radiation Protection, 1998.
"Health Effects of Low Dose Exposure to Fission Products from Chernobyl and the Fermi Nuclear Reactor in the Population of the Detroit Metropolitan Area." In Kohnlein W and Nussbaum R (eds.): Effects of Low Dose Ionizing Radiation. Muenster, Germany: German Society for Radiation Protection, 1998.
"Low Level Radiation and Carcinoma of the Thyroid." In Schmitz-Feuerhake I and Lengfelder E (eds.):100 Jahre Roentgen: Berlin, Germany: German Society for Radiation Protection, 1995.
TESTIMONY TO GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS (18):
New York State energy advisory group (NYSERDA), 4/02
New York City Council (Indian Point NY plant), 5/02 and 2/03
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Harris NC plant), 7/07
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Oyster Creek NJ plant), 7/06, 5/07
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Peach Bottom PA plant), 7/02
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Turkey Point FL plant), 7/01
U.S Nuclear Regulatory Commission (Indian Point NY plant), 2/09
Connecticut State utility commission, (Millstone CT plant) 11/00
U.S. Senate Environment Committee (Sen. Hillary R. Clinton), 6/01
Suffolk County (NY) legislature, Sr-90 in baby teeth, 8/00
Suffolk County (NY) Rhabdomyosarcoma task force, 2001-3
Westchester County (NY) legislature, Sr-90 in baby teeth 11/00, 10/02
New Jersey Commission on Radiation Protection, 2/05, 6/07
Ocean County (NJ) Board of Freeholders, 9/07
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