Volume 5, Number 2
April 30, 2005
Published by RPHP
PO Box 60 Unionville, NY 10988
Editor: Joseph Mangano
http://www.radiation.org

A note from the editor:
The following covers activities of the Radiation and Public Health Project (RPHP) From January through April of 2005.

CNN Gives RPHP First National TV News Coverage
On March 5 and 6, Cable News Network televised a story about RPHP's study of Strontium-90 in baby teeth in New Jersey. The three-minute piece marked the first national TV news coverage on RPHP activities. In the past 18 months, RPHP has also been the subject of national stories in the New York Times and USA Today.

Mangano Testifies Before NJ Radiation Officials
On February 16, RPHPs Joseph Mangano presented testimony to the New Jersey Commission on Radiation Protection on health risks of low-dose radiation exposure. Mangano spoke at the Trenton meeting, as did 13 year old Cory Furst (a New Jersey resident and cancer survivor); his mother Jane; and Edith Gbur of the Jersey Shore Nuclear Watch. The Commission had invited Mangano to testify following the completion of RPHPs report on Strontium-90 in baby teeth of New Jersey children with cancer. Mangano answered questions from the Commissioners for 40 minutes at the event, which was covered by numerous local media.

RPHP Releases Report on High Cancer Rates in Philadelphia
On April 14, Mangano presented a report showing that Philadelphia had the highest cancer death rate of the most populated 60 U.S. counties. The report, which emphasized that Philadelphia lies within 90 miles of 13 nuclear reactors, also showed that the local childhood cancer death rate had risen 22% since the startup of the Limerick plant, 20 miles upwind from the city, as state and national rates fell. The report was presented in the Philadelphia suburb of Pottstown, where Limerick is located, and received extensive local media coverage.

Two New Members Join RPHP Board
The RPHP Board of Directors has recently expanded from five to seven members. David Friedson, who joined the Board in January, is a New York City businessman who served on the Board of Standing for Truth About Radiation (STAR). Scott Cullen, a Long Island attorney and formerly the STAR Executive Director, joined the Board in April. Both Friedson and Cullen have extensive knowledge of radiation health issues, have worked closely with RPHP for years, and bring diverse skills to the Board.

Hearing on Proposed New Reactor Uses RPHP Data
On February 17, activists presented data on public health risks of a proposed new nuclear reactor in Virginia. At the hearing, participants learned of RPHP research showing that the infant death rate near the North Anna plant rose 11% in the first three years after the first reactor began operating at the site, compared to a 9% decline nationwide. Dominion Nuclear, which operates North Anna, has indicated to federal regulators an interest in building new reactors at the site. No nuclear reactor has been ordered in the U.S. since 1978.

Annual Meeting a Success
RPHPs annual meeting attracted 25 of the group's supporters, the most ever for the event. Attendees, who met at the Metropolitan Club in New York City, heard from various RPHP Board members, as well as parents of children with cancer who have made extensive efforts to support the group's research activities.

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