Very interesting news arrived in my inbox earlier today that I thought I should share. Four counties in the lower Hudson Valley of New York are reported to have the highest rates of thyroid cancer in the nation. With alarming statistics coming from a specific region, health experts are looking for the culprit, which appears to be the nearby Indian Point Power Plant.

The plant produces and emits radioactive iodine particles, which when they enter the human body, attack thyroid cells and lead to cancer and other problems such as hypothyroidism. About 300 residents in the four surrounding counties are diagnosed with thyroid cancer each year.

This letter, submitted to Image magazine's blog, is written by the editor, Jane Kollmer. She points, also, to an article about the late effects of radiation and children (http://www.rt-image.com/Late_Effects_of_Radiation_on_Children_Causing_more_ha... ) when radiation is used to treat children with cancer.

This is to those who believe that open pit uranium mines and mills can be GOOD for you, ie: thinking that uranium ore equals radiation for cancer treatment. No matter how you cut it, radiation is dangerous for humans. While radiation has almost blotted out childhood cancer cases, it also creates problems as soon as six months down the road after treatment. The story states, "These effects occur because damage is done not only to cancer cells, but also to healthy cells."

Some of the effects that radiation treatment has on children include:

>> It can cause in a child’s adulthood is infertility or complications birthing.
>> Another problem with treating young girls is that they have not yet reached puberty, so there are no eggs to bank, leaving them with no security.
>> Another very important late effect that can be improved is the impact of radiation on growing bones.

Doctors and radiologists now are talking with parents about these effects, as children cannot understand the issues.

"For example, the author discusses providing a “Passport for Care,” which is like a treatment summary that will always be available to the patient and healthcare providers. This Passport for Care will state the exact location of treatment and doses given, along with any possible late effects. This is important for the patient to have, because, while often times they are too young to understand their disease, when they get older they will more fully comprehend their past medical history."

"The success we can have using radiation is phenomenal; however, without knowledge of the damage that can result the outcome is often heartbreaking."

The difference between using radiation as cancer treatment and radiation that occurs in mining and milling is that there is some transparency in the former. To be fair, mining companies usually cannot be fully transparent, as they often don't know any more information than you and I do about what may happen when a mining and milling operation is undertaken.

Oh yes - the Indian Point Power Plant (or station) is a nuclear power plant. See Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Point_Energy_Center or EIA: http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/page/at_a_glance/reactors/in_point.html