Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant Affecting Our Health?
by Peg Pinard, Former District 3 County
Supervisor
A recent 'analysis' by a local television station of
the health issues surrounding Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power
Plant didn't seem to be comparing apples to apples. Their
charts were citing SLO's numbers and comparing them with
the rest of the state and, while that may be interesting,
it's the statistics for SLO itself that are important.
What Mangano's report said was: compare SLO County's
cancer and birthweight statistics before Diablo opened
with the cancer and birthweight statistics after Diablo
went 'on line. His data showed that there was a
significant increase after Diablo opened. As I read his
report, Mangano got his information right off the state's
cancer incidence website. So, how was that
"cherry-picking" the numbers as the county representative
claimed?
Mangano's report basically compared our County's current
data with the County's own data from pre-Diablo. That
keeps the county's racial "variables" fairly constant
since this county's ethnic makeup hasn't changed
significantly in 40 years. What happens in the rest of the
state is not particularly relevant. For example, it seemed
more than a little "off the wall" when SLO county's health
officer adamantly asserted that "This study used bad
science," citing, for example, that "California is 40%
Caucasian, a racial segment know to be more susceptible to
breast cancer and melanoma. SLO County is 71 % Caucasian,
so it will naturally have higher rates of this cancers."
In looking at SLO County's population, its racial make-up
hasn't changed much over the past 40 years. It's pretty
much the same as it was BEFORE Diablo opened. Putting up
charts that highlighted unrelated state-wide statistics
only succeeded in diverting the real concerns surrounding
health issues here in SLO County. "We" haven't changed, so
the question remains...why the increase in cancers in this
county? ...and why the increase in low birth weights?
There are no other areas in the state where nuclear power
plants are currently operating. So, how then can we
'compare' SLO County with the 'state' when the rest of the
state does not have a nuclear power plant in their
backyard?
The important question Mangano asked was "What were the
cancer and birth weights statistics in SLO County before
Diablo?"…and... "What are they now?" That's very simple
and straight-forward. Mangano's data (from the state's own
website) showed that cancers have increased and birth
weights are lower. His report emphasized that this was the
same pattern that occurred in the Sacramento area around
the Rancho Seco Nuclear Power Plant - that the rates of
cancers and low birth weights increased after Rancho Seco
opened…and then decreased when Rancho Seco closed. That is
the relevant point.
Our county specialists should have provided this data when
they were claiming there was no impact or relationship.
For the county's highly paid guardians of public health,
these are statistics that are easy enough to verify and,
considering that we have a nuclear power plant close by,
it is data that they should have had readily available.
The county didn't answer the question. Given that our
population hasn't changed significantly from before Diablo
until now, the question still remains, "why are there more
cancers?" Rather than just lash out and charge someone
else with 'bad science' the county should have provided
it's own.
Aerial View of Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant |
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