CHILDHOOD LEUKAEMIA NEAR NUCLEAR SITES: FOURTEENTH REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON MEDICAL ASPECTS OF RADIATION IN THE ENVIRONMENT (COMARE)

摘要

In 1983, Yorkshire Television in the UK broadcast a programme entitled 'Windscale the Nuclear Laundry'. This programme investigated the incidence of childhood leukaemia around the nuclear fuel reprocessing site (later renamed Sellafield) in Cumbria and reported that the incidence of the disease was much higher than expected. It was suggested that the increased incidence was linked to discharges from the nuclear plant. This was the first time an increased rate of childhood leukaemia had been found near the plant, and because radiation is known to cause cancer, the link between the cancer cluster and the sprawling complex seemed overwhelming.