US report links higher cancer death rates to communities near nuclear plants

A recent nationwide study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has found that US counties located closer to operational nuclear power plants (NPPs) experienced higher cancer mortality rates between 2000 and 2018. By analyzing data from all US counties and operational NPPs during this period, and adjusting for confounding factors such as income, race, education, lifestyle, and healthcare access, the researchers estimated that approximately 115,000 cancer deaths—about 6,400 annually—may be linked to proximity to these facilities. The increased risk was most pronounced among older adults, and the study employed a “continuous proximity” model to account for cumulative exposure from multiple plants. Despite these findings, the study does not establish a direct causal link, as it relied on geographic distance rather than direct radiation measurements and treated all plants equally regardless of their characteristics. The authors emphasize the need for further research to clarify nuclear power’s health impacts, especially as nuclear energy is increasingly promoted as a clean