Thyroid Risk Near Nuke Plant Studied

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Wednesday December 15 10:03 AM ET 

Thyroid Risk Near Nuke Plant Studied  

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) - A federal review panel says a controversial 
study overstated its conclusion that there was no increased risk for 
thyroid disease among people living downwind from the Hanford nuclear 
reservation.  

While agreeing that the risks of thyroid disease were probably small, 
a subcommittee of the National Research Council of the National 
Academies said Tuesday it found errors in the study made public in 
January.  

``We agree with the investigators that the study provides no clear 
evidence of an association between levels of people's exposure to 
radioactive iodine and their rates of thyroid diseases,'' said 
advisory panel chairman Roy Shore, of the New York University School 
of Medicine.  

``However, given both the statistical uncertainties in the data and 
the uncertainties associated with the estimated radiation doses to 
the thyroid, we do not believe a strong statement can be made that 
there is no association.''  

Many in the Northwest for years have blamed Hanford for a variety of 
illnesses, particularly cancer. Some researchers have found that 
certain residents downwind from the facility were likely to have 
ingested radioactive iodine from Hanford releases.  

The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, which 
conducted the nine-year, $18 million study for the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention, found no link between offsite 
releases of radioactive iodine and increased thyroid disease among 
nearly 3,500 people born near Hanford between 1940 and 1946.  

The study began a decade ago after the federal government 
acknowledged intentional and accidental radiation releases during the 
early years of the Cold War.  

Released as a ``draft final'' report Jan. 28 without the usual 
vetting by other scientists, the study suffered from a number of 
analytical and statistical shortcomings, the panel said.  

While the panel found the epidemiological and clinical portions of 
the study were ``very well designed and carried out in an excellent 
manner,'' it said the study overestimated its ability to detect 
radiation effects, meaning the results were less definitive than had 
been reported.  

Some independent scientists have contended the study's computer model 
may have lead to underestimation of exposure by about 30 percent. 
Shore said ``the risk of thyroid disease is rather small, if there is 
any.''  

The panel, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, was asked to 
review the Hanford study for scientific soundness. It may recommend 
that the CDC make fixes in the study before a final report is 
released, Shore said.  

Fred Hutchinson spokeswoman Kristen Woodward said all of the study's 
key researchers were in meetings in Washington, D.C., and wouldn't 
comment until after they had seen the report.  

Judith Jurji, a leader of the Hanford Downwinders Coalition who 
suffers from thyroid disease, did not return calls for comment 
Tuesday.                      

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy Perle					Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100   				    	
Director, Technical				Extension 2306 				     	
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Division		Fax:(714) 668-3149 	                   		    
ICN Biomedicals, Inc.				E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net 				                           
ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue  		E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com          	          
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Personal Website:  http://www.geocities.com/scperle
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com

************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html