Hi mnatale:
Thanks for the interesting question.
The best information I was able to find about the link between PCB
exposure and hypothyroidism is at the site:
Thyroid Function, PCBs, and Brain Damage
http://www.foxriverwatch.com/thyroid_humans_pcb_pcbs.html
The main article itself starts at:
http://www.foxriverwatch.com/thyroid_humans_pcbs_1.html
It contains a lot of valuable information including:
Summary of Results --- 18 Human Thyroid PCB Studies
http://www.foxriverwatch.com/thyroid_humans_pcbs_1.html#summary
Human Thyroid PCB Studies
http://www.foxriverwatch.com/thyroid_humans_pcbs_1.html#humanthyroid
Other useful pages from the same site include:
Study Reviews
http://www.foxriverwatch.com/thyroid_humans_pcbs_1a.html
Upcoming Thyroid Studies
http://www.foxriverwatch.com/thyroid_humans_pcbs_1b.html
They also have an excellent links page:
Links to More Information
http://www.foxriverwatch.com/thyroid_humans_pcbs_1b.html#links
As for the link between hypothyroidism and living close to nuclear
power plants, most of the information I saw was only around nuclear
power plant *accidents* and hypothyroidism caused by the release of
radioactive iodine (iodine-131).
WHAT CAUSES HYPOTHYROIDISM?
http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:mXORtugmaGYC:www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/health/a-z/38Hypothyroidism/doc38causes.html+hypothyroidism+%22nuclear+power%22+&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
Quote: "Radiation: High-dose radiation for cancers of the head or neck
and for Hodgkin's disease can cause hypothyroidism in up to 65% of
patients within 10 years after treatment. Exposure to radiation from
nuclear power plants may be associated with thyroid disorders, but
further research is needed. A study of children living near Chernobyl
during the nuclear accident in 1986 found that nearly 20% of them who
were heavily exposed to radiation had indications of thyroid
autoantibodies. Females who at the time were older than 13 years old
had the highest risk. At the time of the study, in 1992 and 1994, none
of the children had developed hypothyroidism, but experts recommended
monitoring them."
Why Do Americans Fear Nuclear Power? (Three Mile Island)
URL: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/reaction/interviews/osborn.html
Quote: "The Health Department said, "Well, there was only one within
the ten-mile radius." But if you go beyond ten miles, the whole way
out to Philadelphia, you'd see a string of hypothyroidism cases. It's
real interesting. Our Health Department in most of their press
releases will tell you there's no increase in cancer, or there's no
increase in birth defects. If you get their own data, and if you
research it with somebody who knows what the heck they're looking at,
you will find that there are increases."
Potassium Iodide as a Thyroid Blocking Agent in Radiation Emergencies
URL: http://www.healingedge.net/briefs_nuclear_potassium_iodide.html
Quote: "Downwind from a nuclear accident or detonation, most
casualties result from radioactive iodine poisoning of the thyroid
gland. Children are the highest risk group. Potassium iodide, if taken
before exposure, reduces the threat by 95%."
A few articles addressed the release of iodine-131 as part of the
"daily operation" of nuclear power plants.
Cell Damage Expressed as a Health Problem
URL: http://www.ratical.org/radiation/NRBE/NRBE8.html
Quote: "If properly diagnosed and severe enough to require medical
intervention, this hypoactive thyroid condition can be controlled with
artificially ingested thyroid hormone. A mild exposure experienced by
a large population could cause a decrease in average thyroid hormone
levels and an increase in average body weight, such as is occurring
now in the North American population. The USA has been polluted with
nuclear industries since 1943 and with radioactive iodine from weapon
testing since 1951. Radioactive iodine is routinely released in small
quantities by nuclear power plants and in large quantities by nuclear
reprocessing plants. It is not part of the natural human environment."
Nature Doc
URL: http://www.speakeasy.org/wfp/38/Doc.html
Quote: "Do you think banning nuclear testing and nuclear power will
have any real effect on people's health?...Most certainly. Radioactive
isotopes are taken up by the body and stored in all tissues. This is
most readily seen in the widespread problems there are today with
thyroid disease. Ionizing radiation is directly damaging to DNA.
Healthy DNA is priceless to humanity, making radioactive pollution one
of the most dangerous problems that exists. We must end nuclear
testing and nuclear energy in this country. We know there is an
increased incidence of cancer in the area downwind of Three Mile
Island. Between 1944 and 1949, Hanford released 26,000 times the
radioactivity released at the Three Mile Island nuclear disaster."
As for information specific to the Oyster Creek plant, I was able to
find the following:
Woman Looks Back At Her Toxic N.J. Youth
URL: http://www.gelmans.com/PressClips/Record-woman.htm
Quote: "The tart gooseberries - picked and popped into her mouth raw -
were not only sprayed by DDT trucks and crop-dusters, but were picked
along the chain-link fence of the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant, a
facility nuclear regulatory reports show released radioactivity into
the air in the 1970s and '80s, according to a scientist, Jay Gould of
the New York City-based Radiation and Public Health Project. He is
studying radiation levels in baby teeth collected from around Oyster
Creek and other nuclear power plants."
Oyster Creek Annual Radioactive Effluent Release Report
URL: http://hps.ne.uiuc.edu/natcenviro/effluentreports/1999/oyster%20creek.pdf
Oyster Creek neighbors will get anti-cancer pills
URL: http://www.tr-teach.org/resources/news/news%202002/20020321.html
Quote: "State health officials have requested 864,000 potassium iodide
tablets that people living within 10 miles of nuclear power plants
could take to ward off thyroid cancer in the event of a radiation
leak....People living within 10 miles of the state's four nuclear
power plants -- Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Lacey and
the Salem I and II and Hope Creek stations on Artificial Island in
Lower Alloways Creek -- would receive two doses each. "
Life After the Meltdown
URL: http://www.fairfieldweekly.com/articles/ukraine2.html
Quote: "Built in 1969, Oyster Creek is the oldest power-generating
nuclear facility currently operating in the United States. Owned by
the GPU Nuclear Corp., the reactor is located nine miles south of Toms
River. In 1996, the State Health Department of New Jersey reported a
50 percent increase in childhood cancer cases in Toms River. Since
then, the area has been declared an official cancer cluster by both
the state of New Jersey and the federal Centers for Disease Control.
From 1970 to 1993 (the most recent figures available), Oyster Creek
released 77 curies of airborne radiation (in the form of radioactive
Iodine 131 and effluents), five times the amount released during the
Three Mile Island disasters."
Deadly Deceit: OYSTER CREEK
URL: http://www.bashar.com/GSP/nukeaccidents.htm
Quote: "Oyster Creek is near Atlantic City and New Jersey and it
affected all the vegetables and the food that was delivered to New
York City. Another serious accidental release occurred at the Indian
Point Nuclear Plant (which we only discovered earlier this year) that
actually took place in '85-'86 according to the Brookhaven National
Laboratory's reports about the releases. Those releases in '85 and '86
combined were equal to what was released from Three Mile Island and
yet nobody was told about it. All this occurred right next to the
water reservoirs of New York City and Groton, right near where the
large amounts of water are stored that are shipped into the
metropolitan area."
I hope this information is of help to you.
If you need any clarification of the information I have provided,
please ask using the Clarification feature and provide me with
additional details as to what you are looking for. As well, please
allow me to provide you with clarification(s) *before* you rate this
answer.
Thank you.
websearcher-ga
Search Strategy (on Google):
hypothyroidism PCBs
hypothyroidism "nuclear power"
"oyster creek" thyroid
"oyster creek" thyroid leak
"oyster creek" cancer leak |
