Leukemia risk by ailing aces plant?

Leukemia risk of aces? The number of cancer cases has risen sharply in the region around the atomic waste storage facility in Asse. Statistically speaking, the normal number of new cases of leukemia is eight, while in Asse's case it is more than 18. Environmentalists see themselves confirmed that the Federal Environment Agency can not yet identify any clear evidence.

27/11/2010

The scandals surrounding the atomic waste camp Asse do not stop. A total of 126,000 nuclear waste barrels are stored in the former mine. According to the environmental organization Greenpeace, the mine could soon be flooded with water. In addition, threaten a collapse of the ailing plant. As has now become known, an increased occurrence of the blood cancer disease leukemia is observed in the region around the nuclear waste storage. For environmentalists there is thus a clear connection to the disposal of aces and the accumulated cases of blood cancer. The nuclear medicine doctor Dr. Elke Bruns-Philipps from the Lower Saxony State Health Office did not join. To date, there are cases between 2002 and 2009 for the increase in leukemia „no conclusive explanation“. Although we know that there is a frequency of occurrence of the cancer, we „But they can not yet carry out any further analyzes on individual patients, "the medical doctor said.The problem: the data are only available to the health authorities in an anonymous form.To be able to draw further conclusions, the treating physicians should now be interviewed in order to create an existing context for a potentially existing radiation exposure.

State government promises a quick education
The current media interest is great and the fears in the population can hardly be overlooked. Probably for this reason, the Lower Saxony state government has now announced the massive accumulation of blood cancer cases around the dilapidated nuclear waste storage Asse „as quickly as possible“ pursue. The CDU Minister of Health Aygül Özkan therefore promised one „rapid and transparent education“. The affected district Wolfenbüttel will now be asked in the Enlightenment for support, as a spokesman for the Ministry of Health said Friday afternoon in Hannover. The Lower Saxony Prime Minister David McAllister (CDU) promised to contribute to the high number of leukemia rates „in the best possible way“ to follow up and assist the authorities in the investigation.

In the Ministry of the Environment, however, one soothes. The routine review of the region around Asse would have revealed no significant findings. The authorities have been overseeing the area around the former salt mine since the 1960s. The radiation exposure in the air, groundwater and soil is checked for gamma radiation and radioactivity. "Since then, no entry in the area has been detected from the aces," said the spokeswoman for the Ministry, Jutta Kremer-Heye.

„The ailing repository Asse is a bomb on which the fuse is already burning“, explained Heinz Smital, nuclear physicist of the Environmental Association „Greenpeace”. „Nobody knows exactly which nuclear waste is stored in the aces and how much. But it is clear that the aces are full of water and sooner or later the licked nuclear waste barrels will contaminate the drinking water in the region“. For years, citizens' initiatives and environmental organizations have been pushing for a quick solution and the removal of radioactive barrels.

High disease rates of leukemia and thyroid cancer in the region
A note from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health reports 18 new leukemia cases in the community. On the one hand it is cancer in men in 12 cases and on the other hand it is thyroid cancer in women in 6 cases. According to statistical surveys, in the community with about 10,000 inhabitants for the period between 2002 and 2009 just eight new blood cancers were expected. Not only have the leukemia cases increased significantly, but also the rate of thyroid cancer new cases has increased according to government circles, threefold than expected. "This is a result that gives cause for concern," says radiation expert Dr. med. Elke Bruns-Philipps. However, the currently available data does not allow a conclusive determination of the possible causes. But: "Radioactivity is of course a risk factor, but there are others." as the expert stressed.

In the next few weeks, a summit meeting of experts is planned. Together with the experts of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection, Mann wanted to consider how more information could be obtained to investigate the alarming phenomenon. However, no quick information can be provided. Bruns-Philipps assumes that it can last several months until all patient histories are known. It should also be checked whether some sick men would have worked earlier in the Asse mine. In the course of this appealed the mayor of the municipality of Asse, Regina Bollmeier (SPD), the victims may like to give their medical records free, so that the incidents could be closely examined. "We do not know how old they are, where they've worked, since when they've been ill, since when they've been living in the area, there's a lot of important information that we just do not know, and it's up to them now ", said the SPD politician.

Federal Office for Radiation Protection: No contamination by radioactive substances
For the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) there are currently no signs of health risks to the population. Measurements in the mine „above and below ground“ had no cause for concern. You have „Extensive soil and crop samples from the area around the Asse“ taken, which would have revealed that „to avoid contamination by radioactive substances from the aces“ are. Since 2009, the authority has been responsible for the nuclear waste disposal facility in Asse.

In an interview with the „Hamburger Abendblatt“ said the director of the German Childhood Cancer Registry, Peter Kaatsch, that one generally knows that „ionizing radiation leukemia and thyroid cancer“ cause. After the Chernobyl disaster, they found that too „In children, the number of thyroid cancer cases has risen sharply“ are. Increased radiation exposure causes leukemia and thyroid cancer „Most likely heaped up“, so Kaatsch. The German Cancer Registry examines the distribution of diseases in children very closely. However, the expert pointed out that at least in children, there is not a single cause of cancer. "Of course, there are regions with higher disease rates and those with lower ones, that's just the natural statistical variability, but there's no region where the counties are at higher rates of disease." (Sb)

Also read:
Nuclear power plants do not promote malformations?
Aces: Increased number of leukemia disorders

Picture credits: Coordination circle Aces II