Health Study of Tennessee Nuclear Fuel Plant Halted by Feds
Thursday, September 17, 2015
ERWIN, Tenn. – The federal government is canceling a study of cancer risks near U.S. nuclear facilities, including Nuclear Fuel Services (NFS) in Erwin.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is citing concerns over the amount of resources the study would require and budget constraints, but neighbors of NFS are angry and scared, says Erwin resident Linda Modica.
"They knew how important this cancer study was to us,” she stresses. “They knew how long the community has been concerned about rampant cancers that are wrecking people's bodies and their lives."
A statement from the NRC says the agency is "balancing the desire to provide updated answers on cancer risk with our responsibility to use congressionally provided funds as wisely as possible."
People living near NFS have raised concerns over health impacts of the plant for several years, with reports of multiple cases of cancer in families and other inexplicable health issues.
A 2010 report on NFS documented uranium contamination in the Nolichucky River, downstream from the plant. The river provides drinking water for Tennessee communities such as Greeneville and water for recreation at Davy Crockett Lake.
Barbara O'Neal, a member of the Erwin Citizens Awareness Network, worries the damage may be irreparable.
"It's very frustrating,” she states. “The thing with nuclear material is it never goes away. The only thing I can think of is to try to appeal to the National Institutes of Health to do the study."
O'Neal and Modica say they plan to ask the Obama administration and other branches of federal government to take action and complete the study.
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