ANSTO has rejected claims that thyroid cancer rates in Sutherland Shire women were significantly higher than the New South Wales average. ANSTO said the people against a nuclear reactor had misinterpreted recently released NSW Cancer Council figures in making their claims.
"Scientific analysis of the Cancer Council statistics show that there is no significant difference in the occurrence of thyroid cancer in either males or in females in Sutherland Shire compared with areas in Sydney of similar socio-economic status or in NSW as a whole," said ANSTO Chief Executive Professor Helen Garnett.
"This is obvious from both the standardised incidence ratio and the age-standardised rate for which the 99 per cent confidence intervals overlap for Sutherland and for NSW as a whole.
"This means that, contrary to the PANRs claims, there is no statistically significant difference between Sutherland and NSW thyroid cancer incidence in either men or women."
These results back up earlier studies by national and international experts which showed there were no health effects related to ANSTOs activities at its Lucas Heights site in Sydneys south. ANSTO also refutes claims that it released a "large amount" of iodine-131 from its site in February.
"The total release was in fact well within normal discharge limits and less than that administered to an adult patient for a therapeutic procedure such as those performed routinely in hospitals," Professor Garnett said.
Emissions of iodine-131 from ANSTO are strictly monitored and controlled. The emissions are well below all international and national limits for release.
In fact the maximum iodine dose to any member of the public is under one thousandth of the current National Health and Medical Research Council limit and well under the limit for iodine exposure set by the United States Environment Protection Agency.
ANSTO, as a provider of radioisotopes for therapeutic and diagnostic medicine, regularly manufactures iodine-131 for use and treatment of thyroid diseases.
"This is just one of the benefits ANSTO provides to the medical community and Australia as a whole," Professor Garnett said.
Published: 29/04/1999