The objective of this paper is to cover Hanford from a historical perspective so that we can understand why its radioactive contamination has led to health problems for many people in the area. The second part of this paper will cover an ongoing study by the Hanford Thyroid Disease Study, which had just ended its data phase. In addition, Hanford is deemed uninhabitable by humans or animals due to its high concentrations of radioactive materials.
In late 1942 and early 1943 Hanford was selected as the site of the Manhattan Engineer District (Whiteley, 1993). The objective of this project was to test and produce mass quantities of plutonium to produce the Atomic bomb. This site appeared to have little value, according to Lieutenant General Leslie R. Groves, one of the members of the Manhattan Engineer District (Whiteley, 1993). Little attentions were given to the possible contamination of the Columbia, nor the majestic green forests of the northwest. The project began in March of 1943 and by August of 1945 sufficient plutonium had been produced for the Nagasaki bomb (Whiteley, 1993). The United States government along with the members if the Manhattan Engineer District knew of the radioactive fumes that were emitted into the air, but did little to prevent it. In addition, low-level and high-level radioactive wastes were spilled into the soil and the Columbia River.
Shortly after the Second World War, there was a rapid expansion of the Hanford site as result of the cold war between the United States and the new eastern power, the Soviet Union. The security of the country was the priority of the United States, and the environment suffered irreversible damages. There was an arms race between the two countries and the only focus was to outdo the other. Hence, little thoughts were given to the environment, and little were known about radioactive effects on the environments.
The safety of the people who worked at the Hanford site and those living in surrounding areas were kept in secrecy. However, shortly after World War II, officials spoke out on behalf of the safety and health record of the Hanford facility (Whiteley, 1993). The Atomic Energy Commission assured the public that there were no damage to the plants, animals or humans (Whiteley, 1993). The people had always been assured that their health was being monitored carefully by the Atomic Energy Commission. The Atomic Energy Commission assured the people in the area that only a minute amount of radioactive contamination have been detected in the "air, vegetation, soil, surface water, ground water (Whiteley, 1993)." However, as early as 1944, the Hanford project scientists knew that the Columbia River and its basin was contaminated to a degree that the food chain had been affected by radioactive contamination (Whiteley, 1993). There were extensive efforts made to monitor the "milk, water, air, plants, wild and domestic animals, fish and insects (Whiteley, 1993)." However, there were no discussions ever made to the public about such concerns by the government. Just to give an example of the enormity of the air contaminants, 538,619 curies of iodine (I-131) were released into the air between 1944-1957 (Whiteley, 1993). The mode of transmission of the iodine were almost exclusively through smokestacks (Whiteley, 1993).
The Columbia river, which is located near the Hanford site, received between 400 to 3,700 times the amount of radioactivity than that of its natural water (Whiteley, 1993). Another problem the people and animals living in the area had to endure was the contamination of groundwater (Whiteley, 1993). Since the Hanford area receives a substantial amount of rainfall, the soil is made more permeable. Both low-level and high-level radioactive waste leached into the ground, finding its way to the water table.
The low-level wastes came from reprocessing and discharged directly into the permeable soil (Whiteley, 1993). The high-level wastes leaked through storage tanks (Whiteley, 1993).
Hanford (Possible linked to thyroid diseases)
In 1988, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia funded the Hanford Thyroid Disease Study (HTDS). The primary objective was to determine if there had been an increased in thyroid cancer for persons exposed to atmospheric releases of radioactive materials from the Hanford Nuclear Site in eastern Washington between 1944 and 1957 (Web, Hanford).
As mentioned, hundreds of thousands of curies of radioactive contaminants were released through the air, primarily Iodine-131. Iodine is known to be stored in the thyroid gland, and the most likely health effect would be the development of thyroid disease (Web, Hanford). If exposed at high dosage, radiation can cause neoplasms or nodules (Web, Hanford). This study focuses on those that have received the highest amount of radiation to the thyroid, who are likely to have been the most sensitive to any harmful effects (Web, Hanford).
The study identifies persons in the Hanford area by birth records, based on place and year of birth. The participants were born in the years 1940-1946 (Web, Hanford). The study has two groups: one that may have been exposed to atmospheric releases of radioactive iodine-131 from Hanford, and the others not likely to have been exposed. Of the total 5199 people selected for the study, 4873 (94 percent) were located (Web, Hanford).
Interviews were conducted with each participant in regards to residency, personal habits that might have affected their exposure to radioactive iodine, and their medical histories (Web, Hanford). The participant’s mother or close relative is also located and interviewed regarding the same aspects of the participant’s childhood that relate to the possibility of radioactive iodine exposures (Web, Hanford). The ratio of radiation dose to the thyroid is estimated for each individual based upon data collected by the interviews (Web, Hanford).
Subjects undergo an ultrasound and physical examination of the thyroid gland and a small sample of blood (Web, Hanford). If any abnormalities are found, subjects are asked to go through more thorough testing and treatments. For instance, if a subject is found to have a thyroid nodule, sample of cells from the nodule are requested for additional diagnostics (Web, Hanford).
In addition, a pilot study was also conducted select those with the highest exposure to radioactive doses as well as those who received little or no dosage (Web, Hanford). Subjects from the Benton, Franklin and Walla Walla counties who are located close to the Hanford site are expected to have received the highest level of radiation (Web, Hanford). Those subjects that were from Okanogan, Ferry, and Stevens counties who are located farther away from the Hanford site are expected to received the lowest level of radiation (Web, Hanford). "An important goal of the pilot study was to see if this was true by estimating a radiation dose for every person selected as a participant."
According to the HTDS, "the information obtained in the pilot study from the medical examinations and interviews was used to revise the study protocol and to determine more accurately the number of people needed to conduct a full study."
The estimates of disease risk were not calculated from the pilot study, but subjects from the pilot project were included in the full study in estimating disease risk (Web, Hanford).
The Hanford area has many Native American Tribes and Nations, and they have expressed concerns about their people’s health and well being (Web, Hanford). There are eight Native American reservations located within a 150-mile radius of the Hanford site (Web, Hanford). These include the Colville, Coeur d’Alene, Kalispell, Nez Perce, Spokane, Umatilla, Warm Springs, and Yakima. These Native American Tribes have a lifestyle that include outdoor lifestyle, migration patterns near the Hanford site, and reliance on certain foods that may increase their exposure to some radionuclides, including Iodine-131. The tribes are involved in the HTDS research because they are the only ones that have knowledge on traditional foods and lifestyles that is necessary to determine past radiation exposures (Web, Hanford).
http://www.hanford.fhere.org/science/phs/htds/dec97.htm
file:///d/HANFORD/WNF-FACT.HTM
Whiteley, John M. Hanford: The Old Reality and The New. School of Social Ecology. University of California, Irvine. Draft September 8, 1993.
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