Wylfa Nuclear Power Station

Chris Busby, Nuclear Power and Cancer in North Wales near Wylfa Part 1

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• published: 22 Dec 2011
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Welsh Language ITV flagship programme Byd ar Bedwar (20/12/2011) investigates breast cancer increases downwind of the Wylfa Nuclear Power Station on Anglesey. Dr Chris Busby was commissioned by the programme to investigate cancer death rates in the 11 wards surrounding the plant. He found a significant 60% excess risk in women dying between 1999 and 2008 in the downwind wards compared with the distant wards. There was also two-fold excess lung cancer risk in men in Amlwch Port downwind of the plant. Busby had previously studied cancer near three other nuclear power stations, Hinkley Point in Somerset, Bradwell in Essex and Trawsfynydd in Wales. All three have statistically significant excess risk of breast cancer in those living near the contaminated areas. The Bradwell breast cancers were associated with living near the contaminated coastal sediment of the R Blackwater estuary. A joint CERRIE commissioned study between Busby, the nuclear industry (Richard Wakeford) and NRPB was shut down in 2004 by the committee chairman when it became apparent that Busby's figures were correct and those of the government's Small Area Health Statistics Unit incorrect. Latest figures for Burnham-on-Sea, downwind of the Hinkley Point plant show a continued excess breast cancer mortality, supporting the many earlier studies carried out by Busby's Green Audit. The Hinkley site is contaminated with enriched uranium. (See www.llrc.org, www.stophinkley.org, www.greenaudit.org and the CERRIE Minority Report.) Data supplied by the official Public Health Wales obtained under a Freedom of Information request by ITV show a significant child leukemia excess in the downwind wards for the period 1974-2008. Ex-nuclear industry chief scientist Richard Wakeford, who denied these links when working for BNFL Sellafield, was recently appointed to the government's COMARE committee who advise on radiation risk. PART 2 which discusses the cancer cluster is at http://youtu.be/1y2HIbqxDNQ