- Hanford workers had 11x higher rates of mesothelioma, a cancer that affects the lungs, heart and abdomen, than the general population
- Hanford workers had 30x higher death rates of asbestosis than the general population
- Hanford workers had a 3x higher rates of multiple myeloma, a cancer of the blood, than the general population
21 September 2009
Another explanation of higher cancer rates for Hanford workers
This short post on Mesothelioma News concisely explains the findings of a recent study of mortality risks of workers at the Hanford site. Here's what we took away:
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I NEVER would have thought asbestos would be a cause for Hanford workers have such a high death rate! I would have assumed things like beryillium exposure and other contaminants; they just seemed more likely. These are really interesting findings, thanks for posting/highlighting these!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to believe that there are still so many issues with worker safety at Hanford! They must pay really well over there...
ReplyDeleteThe results of a recent study have shown that former construction workers at the Hanford nuclear site are at increased risk of contracting certain types of cancers, including the asbestos cancer known as mesothelioma, which is linked to higher level and long term asbestos exposure.
ReplyDeleteThe study, which was published in this month’s copy of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, used data from the Building Trades National Medical Screening Program for Hanford as well as several other energy sites in order to draw these conclusions.
According to the results of the study former workers from the site are eleven times more likely to contract malignant mesothelioma than a general member of the public, and were three times more likely to contract multiple myeloma.
While a number of different cancer risks were looked at as part of the study, which involved reviewing nearly nine thousand workers, one of the most significant findings was relating to mesothelioma risks, with one official involved in the study stating: “The most significant finding at Hanford was a very high rate of mesothelioma.”