Health Officials Stumped by High Rate of Birth Defects around leaking U.S. nuclear site

[bananas]

http://enenews.com/worrisome-spike-in-deadly-birth-defect-around-leaking-u-s-nuclear-site-officials-claim-it-could-be-a-complete-coincidence-all-media-reports-fail-to-mention-its-nearby-most-contaminate

“Worrisome” spike in deadly birth defects around leaking U.S. nuclear site — Officials claim “it could be a complete coincidence” — No news reports mention it’s by the most contaminated area in Western Hemisphere #Hanford

Published: July 22nd, 2013 at 12:27 pm ET

Title: Washington State Health Officials Stumped by High Rate of Birth Defects
Source: ABC News with Diane Sawyer
Author: Gillian Mohney
Date: July 18, 2013

A high rate of birth defects has confounded Washington health officials, who have been unable to identify a cause.

A report released Tuesday by the Washington State Department of Health said that, since 2010, the neighboring counties of Yakima, Benton and Franklin have an unusually high number pregnancies affected by the [neural tube] birth defect anencephaly, which results in a newborns’ brains being severely underdeveloped.

In the U.S., there are approximately one or two expected cases of anencephaly for every 10,000 annual births ... the health department found that there was an abnormally high number of cases reported from January 2010 to January 2013 with approximately eight cases of anencephaly for every 10,000 births. ...

In addition to looking at supplemental folic health, the department also looked for variations in other risk factors, including family history, pre-pregnancy weight and whether or not the mothers drank water from a private or public source. ...

“There’s one region in the state (that’s had a spike),” said [Donn Moyer, a spokesman for the Washington State Department of Health]. “It could be complete coincidence” ...

<snip>

The Hanford nuclear site is located near Richland, WA, between Benton and Franklin counties (White Arrow)

[PoliticAverse]

1. Detailed 2011 article on Hanford...

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/america-s-atomic-time-bomb-hanford-nuclear-waste-still-poses-serious-risks-a-752944.html

[Scootaloo]

2. Two threads by you about nuclear disaster...

Both threads cite the officials responding by calling the situation "worrisome."

Do these people eat valium like tic-tacs or something? "WORRISOME"?!

[NealK]

3. K&R

[quakerboy]

4. Ya know, this is hardly a surprise.

Anyone who's been in the area knows there are issues. Lotta thyroid issues for those downwind. And this, apparently.

[geckosfeet]

5. Can you say "Superfund II". More abandoned homes. More ruined lives.

[Theyletmeeatcake2]

6. No shit Sherlock!

We are in for a very bumpy ride!!!

[Igel]

7. So there's been a sudden increase.

That prompts the question, What's changed?

After all, unless there was a large, new leak of radioactive material from Hanford, we'd expect the birth defects to have reached steady state long ago and, as radiation levels slowly drop to also slowly drop (as a percentage of live births, to account for any increase or decrease in population).

So what's changed?

Do the mothers rely on ground water, and there's been a shift in ground water migration? Have people built in a new area and these mothers were exposed to a higher level of radiation than surrounding developments? What's changed, because you don't get a change in incidence if the reason has been there, unchanged, all along.

The spike itself doesn't mean a whole lot. Statistical "flukes" happen--in fact, if they didn't happen that would be the real statistical fluke.

Any word on how statistically unlikely this spike is?

Or how statistically unlikely, if this is the "real" steady state, having lower incidence of the birth defect would be? (I mean, that's the assumption the OP's making, that *this* is the "true" steady state.)

[proverbialwisdom]

8. Thank you for posting. nt

[freshwest]

9. Only been screwing up the environment for 70 years now:

Hanford[edit]

While many downwinders were exposed to weapons testing, millions more have been affected by radioactive fallout due to U.S. sites engaged in the production of nuclear weapons and/or nuclear power. For example, Hanford is a former nuclear weapons production site located in south central Washington state, where the Washington state Department of Health collaborated with the citizen-led Hanford Health Information Network (HHIN) to publicize significant data about the health effects of Hanford’s operations. Established in 1943, Hanford released radioactive materials into the air, water and soil, releases which largely resulted form the routine site’s operation, though some were also due to accidents and intentional releases. Those who lived downwind from Hanford or who used the Columbia River downstream from Hanford were all exposed to elevated doses of radiation, which are presumed to have caused increased incidents of health problems and birth defects that generated widespread public concern over the public and environmental health implications of the site.[8]

By February 1986, mounting citizen pressure forced the U.S. Department of Energy to release to the public 19,000 pages of previously unavailable historical documents about Hanford’s operations. These reports revealed there had been huge releases of radioactive materials into the environment that contaminated the Columbia River and more than 75,000 square miles (190,000 km2) of land. In particular, it made clear downwinders' exposure to plutonium, which was produced in nuclear reactors along the Columbia River. The reactors used large amounts of water from the river for cooling, which caused materials in the river water to become radioactive as they passed through the reactor. The water and the radioactive materials it contained were released into the river after passing through the reactors, thus contaminating the both groundwater systems and aquatic animals downstream as far West as the Washington and Oregon coasts.[8]

A class-action lawsuit brought by two thousand Hanford downwinders against the federal government has been in the court system for many years.[9] The first six plaintiffs went to trial in 2005, in a bellwether trial to test the legal issues applying to the remaining plaintiffs in the suit.[10]

Plutonium was also separated and purified for use in nuclear weapons, which resulted in the release of radioactive material into the air. Air polluted by material from the Hanford site traveled throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and even into Canada. Further contamination filtered into the food chain via contaminated fields where milk cows grazed; hazardous fallout was ingested by communities who consumed the radioactive food and drank the milk. Another source of contaminated food came from Columbia River fish; their impact was disproportionately felt by Native American communities who depended on the river for their customary diets. The estimate of those exposed to radioactive contamination due to living downwind of Hanford or ingesting food or water that flowed downstream is as high as 2 million.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downwinders#Hanford

I first learned about Hanford, Rocky Flats, and other horrors in the sixties. The reason we protested nuclear weapons and power generators were simple.

The half-life of many fissionable materials exceed the life of most governments. Promises are being made that will not be kept. The problems are tossed out to future generations.

They demand a concentration of financial resources and security. If though nuke power plants are privately owned, the risks fall on the public. This is irresponsible and a theft of the commons.

In all ways, they will endanger democracy and transfer power to unaccountable elites. The only way to keep them safe is with more money spent than they are worth, and a police state. We knew this. Some of our actions were successful in preventing them being built, some were not.

Now we have a crew who is gutting what regulations and support civil authority could use to protect the public. The private sector will never do it, as it goes against their mission, to maximize profits no matter who is hurt. And it's why we still need government, big government to deal with these while we finally eliminate all of these.

Of course the baggers elected in 2010 are threatening to close down the federal government if they don't get elmination of alternative energy initatives, the EPA and other things. This is far from over.

[bemildred]

10. "What could it be?" nt

[bigctyfem1]

11. so messed up.....

Funny, i was raised for many years ans my entire family is from there...I had a baby 23 years ago with anencephaly and so did my cousin. I have severe neutropenia and lupus rheumatoid arthritis and pusterial psoriasis and my great grandma died of cancer as did my grandpa and my mom had cancer....ive known alot of people who worked out there...or live there and they arent so well...My sister has epilepsy and a thyroid issue...my older sister just has issues lol....My brother too...i also had a child with 2 severe club feet....im starting to wonder about this.....2 out of 3 children had deformities....1 died...2nd one VERY healthy more than a normal person and 3rd deformed...i stopped there afraid...2 children is good though....

[niyad]

15. welcome to du--thank you for sharing your own history with us.

[mitty14u2]

12. Groundwater Contamination (Tritium) at Nuclear Plants

Tritium is a mildly radioactive type of hydrogen that occurs both naturally and during the operation of nuclear power plants.

Water containing tritium and other radioactive substances is normally released from nuclear plants under controlled, monitored conditions the NRC mandates to protect public health and safety. The NRC recently identified several instances of unintended tritium releases, and all available information shows no threat to the public.

Nonetheless, the NRC is reviewing these incidents to ensure nuclear plant operators have taken appropriate action and to determine what, if any, changes are needed to the agency's rules and regulations.

The following information provides further basic information on tritium and other isotopes released from nuclear power plants, outlines the status of the unintended tritium leaks and the NRC's actions

http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/ops-experience/grndwtr-contam-tritium.html

Water leaks into drinking water are common, very under reported, (no threat to the public) but cancer prevalent?

[niyad]

13. when I first saw the title, I hoped the article was from the Onion--because these "experts" cannot

possibly expect us to believe they are "stumped" by the birth defects. seriously? exactly how stupid do they think we are?? oh, wait, they think all of us are pukes and cons.

[LisaL]

14. Exactly.

[jsr]

16. Doctors mystified by high mortality rate of head gunshot wounds