"A mysterious pattern of illnesses ... is emerging around this nation's nuclear weapons plants and research facilities," affecting hundreds of people, the Nashville Tennessean reported Tuesday in a 20-story special section. USA Today also picked up the story.
More than 410 people living near or working at 13 Energy Department sites in 11 states were interviewed by the newspaper and were found to be "experiencing a pattern of ... immune, respiratory and neurological problems" that cannot be explained by medical professionals. Many of the people "believe their ailments stem from exposure to dangerous substances that were released into the environment" around the sites. The newspaper notes that the people "have no evidence" that their problems are linked to the DOE sites. "So either the ill must prove toxic exposure has hurt them-which scientists say they have little chance of doing-or hope the nation will take action now on anecdotal evidence."
DOE Acting Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Health Peter Brush said the agency is not aware of widespread health problems connected with its nuclear weapons sites, and it is up to those affected to bring problems to the DOE's attention. Brush: "If we're not aware of it, we can't work on it. They need to take care of themselves medically and get (toxic release) information on the sites to take to their own doctors. Having done that, they need to bring it to our attention."
Following a 1997 Tennessean special report on illnesses surrounding the Oak Ridge, Tenn., site, DOE and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began investigating the Scarboro neighborhood closest to the site. The DOE study found "a number of poisons-including traces of radioactive bomb-grade uranium," in Scarboro, while the CDC found "severe respiratory problems in a third of the children" and a children's asthma rate "twice the national average."
Some health officials are calling for a more comprehensive study of the health problems associated with the sites. George Lucier, director of the environmental toxicology program at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences: "Four hundred people is a lot of people. ... At least the wheels should be set in motion in which a team of physicians can go in and look at things more systematically."
But John Till of Neeses, SC-based Risk Assessment Corp., a scientific research firm, warned that basic information still needs to be established. Till: "I empathize with people who are sick. They want answers. But you still have to go back and see if any releases could have caused health problems."
Another health official criticized the DOE's policy on responding to complaints. Bernard Goldstein of the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, told the Tennessean: "It's really inappropriate for us to simply use science as an out, and say 'We just don't understand this, we'll come back when we do.' We have to at least be responsive to people now."
The USA Today article includes a map showing the locations of the 13 sites: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore Calif.; Hanford Nuclear Reservation, Richland, Wash.; Idaho National Environmental and Engineering Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho; Rocky Flats Plant, Denver, Colo.; Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, N.M.; Pantex Plant, Amarillo, Texas; Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Paducah, Ky.; Fernald Feed Materials Production Center, Fernald, Ohio; Mound Plant, Miamisburg, Ohio; Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Piketon, Ohio; Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, Tenn.; Brookhaven National Laboratories, Upton, N.Y.; and Savannah River Plant, Aiken, S.C.
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