Trends in public health in the population near nuclear facilities: a critical assessment

Ten studies that have looked specifically at changes in public health in areas near nuclear facilities are critically reviewed. All but one of these studies have been unable to show adverse health effects in the local population that might be related to radiation exposure. The one study that purports to find an adverse effect has severe methodological limitations, which preclude any meaningful interpretation of the data. Also presented is an analysis of the indicators of public health in the area of Oak Ridge, Tenn., which shows cancer mortality rates that are not significantly higher than would be expected in the general U.S. population. Although much more research is needed before all the effects of very low levels of radiation from nuclear reactors will be known, the existing studies suggest that nuclear power plants will not have a significant impact on public health as a result of normal operations