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Telegraph
3 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Why Starmer's nuclear power push raises cancer fears
In 1942, the Mallinckrodt Chemical Works, which was processing uranium for the first atomic bomb, ran out of space for its radioactive waste and moved it to an open air storage site near Coldwater Creek, north of St Louis. More than 80 years later, Harvard University has shown that communities living near the Creek, a tributary of the Missouri River, had an elevated risk of cancer. The findings, released this week, showed a dose-response effect, with those living nearest to the water having a far higher chance of developing most cancers than those living farther away. Researchers say it highlights the dangers from exposure to even small amounts of radiation over time, and warn governments must be cautious when building new nuclear sites near towns and villages. 'Our research indicates that the communities around North St. Louis appear to have had excess cancer from exposure to the contaminated Coldwater Creek,' said Professor Marc Weisskopf, an expert in environmental epidemiology and physiology. 'These findings may have broader implications—as countries think about increasing nuclear power and developing more nuclear weapons, the waste from these entities could have huge impacts on people's health, even at these lower levels of exposure.' 'Golden age of clean energy' The warning comes at a time when the government is seeking to increase nuclear power in Britain, announcing £14.2 billion for a new nuclear plant at Sizewell in Suffolk, and £2.5 billion for a small nuclear reactor programme. Ed Miliband, the energy secretary said nuclear power was crucial 'to deliver a golden age of clean energy abundance.' But for decades there have been fears that the radiation from power stations can cause cancer, with some evidence showing clusters of leukaemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma near Sellafield in Cumbria, and Dounreay, on the north coast of Scotland. Nuclear plants have also been linked to increased cancer incidence in the US and Germany. The public was first alerted to the possibility that nuclear plants could be causing cancer when an ITV documentary in 1983 revealed a high number of childhood leukaemia cases between 1955 and 1983 in the village of Seascale, near Sellafield. While less than one case should have been expected in such a small community, researchers found seven youngsters suffering from the condition. Residents feared that radioactive discharges may be to blame and the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (Comare) was set up to investigate. Investigations by Comare did show that rates of two types of childhood leukaemia and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, were significantly higher than expected, and researchers found a similar cluster at Thurso near Dounreay. However researchers did not find raised rates in other villages near Sellafield and Dounreay leading them to think that something else was causing the rise, potentially local infections which are known to trigger cancer in some cases. The investigators theorised that an influx of workers moving to Seascale and Thurso to work in the nuclear industry may have exposed local residents to new infections, sparking a rise in childhood cancer rates. Viruses such as Epstein-Barr are thought to be linked to cancers such as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. This week, Imperial College and the University of Bristol published new research showing no increased risk for youngsters living within around 15 miles of a British nuclear plant. Researchers analysed cancer incidence data for nearly 50,000 cases of childhood leukaemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, central nervous system tumours, and other solid tumours in children aged 0 to 14 years between 1995 and 2016. They cross-referenced it against data for communities living near nuclear plants, including Sellafield and Dounreay but found no increase in cases compared to the national average. Dr Bethan Davies, from Imperial's School of Public Health, said: 'For many years there have been public concerns about the potential health impacts of living near nuclear installations. 'Our analysis suggests that children living near these sites today are not at increased risk. 'As the UK government announces a multibillion-pound investment for new nuclear energy infrastructure, our findings should provide reassurance that the historical clusters of childhood cancers reported near sites such as Sellafield and Dounreay are no longer evident.' But the Coldwater Creek case shows the danger that can come from supposedly safe radioactive storage facilities. In that case, wind, rain and flooding are thought to have allowed radioactive material to leach into groundwater. A clean up operation is ongoing which is not expected to be complete until 2038 and the US government has just expanded the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), so that those affected can claim medical expenses. The UK Health Alliance on Climate Change also warns that there are health risks associated with living near and working in a nuclear plant, citing German research showing young children living within a few miles of a site are particularly vulnerable. 'Any proposed development of nuclear power as a source of energy must take into account potential risks to human health,' the alliance said in a position statement last month. Imperial College warned it was important to continue to monitor health data at nuclear plants, but said its latest findings should reassure communities living close to reactors. Professor Mireille Toledano, Mohn Chair in Population Child Health in Imperial's School of Public Health, said: 'These findings are both timely and important. As the UK and other countries expand their nuclear energy capacity, it's vital that public health remains a central consideration. 'It's reassuring that our study found that the historic case clusters have resolved, but it remains important we continue to monitor public health data around such sites across the UK for any emerging trends of concern.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘This is a true giant': Man breaks Kansas blue catfish record with 121-pound Missouri River monster
TOPEKA (KSNT) – A Missouri angler has broken a more than decade-old catfish record in Kansas by nearly 20 pounds. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) reports on its website the record for blue catfish was broken on May 15 this year by a man from Agency, Missouri. He caught the big catfish using a rod and reel with common carp used for bait. The new state record, caught on the Missouri River, weighs in at 121.1 pounds and measures in at 59.75 inches. The previous record, caught by an Olathe man using a rod and reel with cut bait on the Missouri River in 2012, weighed in at 102.8 pounds and measured in at 56.75 inches. Why are so many strange catfish coming out of this Kansas lake? 27 News got in touch with the angler, Daniel Mayer, who shared details on how he landed the big fish and how he feels about setting a new state fishing record. Mayer described his catch as 'truly just a fish of a lifetime' that he caught while fishing with a Big Cat Fever rod on the Missouri River late at night before an upcoming tournament. 'I really struggled to get her into the boat myself,' Mayer said. 'It was all still setting in like 'oh my gosh, this is a true giant.'' Mayer said he was wrapping up fishing on the river that night when he hooked the blue catfish. He was shocked by the size and weight of his catch as he reeled it in. 'I didn't realize until I tried to lift her up and into the boat just how big she was,' Mayer said. 'At first I thought my net was stuck on the side of the boat. Then I realized it's just a really, really big fish. I got her into the boat finally like 'holy cow, she takes up half of the bottom of my boat!'' What are the rarest fish you can catch in Kansas and where can you find them? Mayer said he started making phone calls to try and find out how to get the catfish weighed on a certified scale and determine which side of the state line his catch was made on. He eventually got his catch weighed at a business in Kansas City and verified by staff with the KDWP's fisheries division. 'It was just a lot,' Mayer said. 'Everything started hitting, the process of getting it weighed and everything.' The KDWP told Mayer his fish was around 23-years-old after he brought it in. He said he tried to keep it alive as best he could but thinks the process of reeling it in put too much stress on the fish. 'What I didn't understand was a fish that big and that old just doesn't have the reserve capacity,' Mayer said. 'The fight just wore her out so much she didn't recover.' Exotic pet fish are turning up in Kansas lakes, where do they come from? Mayer said he wants to try and get a replica made to commemorate his record catch. He shared some advice for other anglers looking to land a potential trophy catch. 'One of the biggest pieces of advice that was given to me and took to heart is you've gotta put the time in,' Mayer said. 'You take that advice and mold it to what you believe. You can ask all the advice in the world but you have to get out there and put it to use. It's just time on the water.' The last state fishing record to be broken in Kansas was a Redear sunfish caught in 2023. You can learn more about what it takes to set a new state fishing record by clicking here. Biologists find, study what's left of the world record flathead catfish caught in Kansas For more Kansas Outdoors, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Wall Street Journal
6 days ago
- Health
- Wall Street Journal
Manhattan Project Waste Linked to Higher Risk of Cancer
People who spent their childhood in the 1940s, '50s or '60s living near Coldwater Creek, a tributary of the Missouri River in St. Louis County, grew up in the shadow of the atomic bomb. Now, new research suggests they faced a heightened risk of cancer, likely because of radiation exposure from the polluted creek.
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal government appealing $28M award to North Dakota for pipeline protest costs
Opponents of the Dakota Access Pipeline camp north of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation on Nov. 30, 2016, outside Cannon Ball, N.D. (Photo by) The U.S. Department of Justice is appealing a federal judge's decision to award North Dakota $28 million in damages for the executive branch's response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. The case now heads to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals for review. Thousands traveled to south-central North Dakota to protest the construction of the oil pipeline underneath the Missouri River's Lake Oahe reservoir alongside the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in 2016 and 2017. The tribe says the pipeline poses serious threats to the environment, intrudes upon Native territory and has desecrated sacred cultural sites. Judge blasts Army Corps for pipeline protests, orders $28M in damages to North Dakota The main demonstration camp was located on land managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The state filed suit in 2019 against the federal government, arguing that the Corps unlawfully allowed, and at some times encouraged, protesters to use its land at the state's expense. The case went to trial in February 2024. The trial lasted four weeks and included witness testimony from former North Dakota governors Doug Burgum and Jack Dalrymple, Indigenous activists, law enforcement officials and others. In an April ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Dan Traynor sided with North Dakota's claims, finding the Army Corps at fault for negligence, public nuisance and civil trespass claims. The executive branch has disputed North Dakota's accusations and maintains it did the best it could to manage an unpredictable situation. The U.S. government must file its initial arguments for appeal by Aug. 15, the docket states. North Dakota sought to recoup $38 million from the federal government, though Traynor lowered this amount to $28 million since the U.S. Department of Justice previously gave the state $10 million as compensation for the protests. The state can't get any of the money until the appeals process wraps up, according to the North Dakota Office of Management and Budget. The award would also have to survive review by other judges. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
North Dakota paddlefish snagging season to close to additional harvest
May 8—BISMARCK — The North Dakota Game and Fish Department announced Thursday that the state's 2025 paddlefish-snagging season will close at 7 p.m. (Central Time) May 9 to any additional harvest to provide long-term protection of the paddlefish population. An additional snag-and-release extended season will begin May 10 and run through May 16, the department said in a news release. Paddlefish snaggers with unused tags can continue snagging during the additional snag-and-release season but must release all fish immediately. If a snagger has already used their tag on a harvested paddlefish, they are not allowed to participate in the additional snag-and-release period. Snag-and-release will be open in that area of the Missouri River starting on the north shore from the Confluence boat ramp, then east (downstream) to the pipeline crossing (river mile 1577), and on the south shore from the confluence with the Yellowstone River, then east (downstream) to the pipeline crossing (river mile 1577). Paddlefish snagging during the extended season is allowed from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. CT. The use or possession of a gaff on snag-and-release days is illegal.
