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MAKING USE OF THE INTERNET Joseph J. Mangano, MPH MBA Monitoring the performance of nuclear reactors is a function assigned to government regulatory agencies at the national, state, and federal levels. However, it is important that citizens also have the ability to monitor performance. Reactors routinely emit hazardous radioactive chemicals as they operate, threatening the safety of the air, water, and food. The development of the internet has made an enormous amount of information available to the general public. The following guide outlines some of the more useful sources of information, and gives instructions on how interested persons – who do not have to be health or scientific professionals - can obtain data.
1. List of U.S. nuclear plants. The NRC’s web site (www.nrc.gov) contains a very large amount of data on reactors. Perhaps the most basic information (name of reactor, location, which
utility operates the reactor) can be obtained by by
clicking here, or going to the following web address: 2. License extension status As of early May (of 103 reactors), 30 had been granted license extensions, 18 had applications under review, and another 23 were the subject of letters of intent to apply for license renewal. To find a calendar of dates for each reactor’s license extension process, click on the name of the reactor in the status list. 3. Power Uprate Applications To view lists of applications approved, pending, and granted, click on the following web addresses: Approvals: Pending: Expected: While no new nuclear reactor in the U.S. has been ordered since 1978, several utilities have recently expressed interest in new orders. In the fall of 2003, three utilities (Dominion, Entergy, and Exelon) submitted “Early Site Permit” applications to the NRC, which are required before the full application for a new reactor. The three companies are seeking permits for new reactors at the North Anna VA, Grand Gulf MS, and Clinton IL sites). The NRC web site contains information about new reactor licensing. To view a schedule of the various steps, including public meetings and public comment periods, for each Early Site Permit application, click here to go to www.nrc.gov/reactors/new-licensing/esp.html 5. Percent of time reactors operate To calculate the percent of time that a reactor operates, go to: www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html Then click on Begin ADAMS Search In the top box (marked Search), enter the name of the plant, such as Indian Point. In the third box from the top (marked Title), enter the words Monthly Operating Report, then click the Search button. The user will now see a series of documents; each is a monthly operating report that the utility submitted to the NRC. As of early May 2005, all reports from November 1999 to March 2005 are available. To find out how many hours the reactor operated in a year, click on to the December monthly report for that year. Scroll down until the words “Hours critical” or “Reactor critical” are found. Three numbers will appear
Example: Month Year Lifetime To calculate the operating factor for 2004, take the number of hours critical and divide it by the number of hours in the year. In 2004, there were 366 days, so 366 times 24 hours = 8784 hours. 8310 / 8784 = 94.6% 6. Emissions from nuclear reactors. Each utility is mandated to report annual emissions to the NRC, which
may be obtained by
clicking here, to go to Then click on Begin ADAMS Search In the top box (marked Search), enter the name of the plant, such as Indian Point. In the third box from the top (marked Title), enter the words Annual Operating Report, then click the Search button. Each Annual Radiological Environmental Operating Report from 1999 to 2004 for each plant is available as of early May 2005. However, it appears that no numerical data exists. Instead, utilities simply report that emission were monitored and fell below the federally-prescribed limits. 7. Environmental radiation levels To access data on EPA’s environmental radioactivity levels,
click
here to go to the following: The web site has a series of quarterly reports, from #75 (July to September 1993) to #115 (July to September 2003). Clicking on the desired report will reveal the contents; each is about 30 pages long. If a user selected report #114 (April to June 2003), and wanted measurements for locations in Iowa, they would find the following:
8. In-body radiation levels To find results, click here go to www.radiation.org/spotlight/sr90concentrations.html The user will view a table of average Sr-90 concentrations in baby teeth in 5 states (with at least 130 teeth) and in 16 counties near six nuclear plants (with at least 50 teeth). The report will be expanded as more teeth are received and tested. B. DATA ON HEALTH EFFECTS OF REACTORS 1. Death rates http://wonder.cdc.gov/mortSQL.html The user now has a choice of which years to analyze:
After choosing the desired time period, the user then will view a screen in which a number of variables can be selected. The variables are almost all self-explanatory. An illustration of how to request and access data follows. Goal: To find out the 2002 infant mortality rate for blacks in Cook County IL. Several variables need to be selected, beginning at the top of the screen, while others are set at default values and don’t need to be changed. The ones to be changed are:
The output appears as follows Location code County Death Count Population Crude Death Rate This means that in 2002, there were 23,057 births to blacks mothers residing in Cook County, and 359 deaths to babies under age one year to black mothers. Dividing 359 over 23,057 and multiplying by 100,000 gives a rate of 1557.0 deaths per 100,000 persons (births). Clicking on the red “X” in the top right hand corner of the screen returns the user to the main screen. To obtain the 2002 national infant death rate for blacks, one only needs to change two variables:
Race Death Count Population Crude Death Rate Thus, the user now knows that the Cook County infant death rate (1557.0) is higher than the national rate (1435.8). It is 8.4% higher (1557.0 - 1435.8) / 1435.8 = .084 times 100 = 8.4% Another example: Goal: To examine recent trends in cancer death rates for children under age 15 in Cook County, IL. Again, several variables need to be selected from the CDC mortality menu.
The output appears as follows: Year Death Count Population Crude Death Rate The user can see that the rate rose in 2000, declined in 2001, and rose again in 2002. If data prior to 1999 are desired, one can click on the “previous window” key (upper left hand corner), and choose the option “mortality for 1979-1998 with ICD-9 codes.” 2. Birth-related rates Goal: To find out the percent of white babies in Cook County who
were born at low weight in 2002 (the standard definition of underweight
is below 2500 grams, or 5.5 plans). Click
here to go to Only several of the variables need to be changed; default settings can be left on the others. The first step is to request the number of underweight births.
The output appears as follows Year Births The second step is to request the total number of births (only use births with a stated weight)
The output appears as follows Year Births The percent of births that are underweight is 6.75% Another example: Goal: To review the 1995-2002 trend in premature births among black babies in Cook County. (For purposes of this analysis, we will define prematurity as any live birth with a gestation period under 37 weeks). Click on the red “X” on the top right of the screen, and change only the following variables. The first step is to request the number of premature births.
The output appears as follows: Year Births The next step is to request the total number of births with a stated gestation period.
The output appears as follows: Year Births 1995 (5,688 / 28,995) x 100 = 19.6% (use the same formula for each year) 3. Disease incidence – National cancer
statistics Each state now operates a cancer registry, also known as a tumor
registry. But many states only began these registries recently. Thus,
the centralized data base on the internet only covers the years 1999,
2000, and 2001, and covers 43 of the 50 states, plus the District
of Columbia (93% of the U.S.). It may be accessed by
clicking here to go to - Cancer incidence
At this point, the user can select several helpful data items for various types of cancer
The closest to a “national” cancer incidence database in existence is known as SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results), operated by the National Cancer Institute. SEER, formed in 1973 as part of President Richard Nixon’s War on Cancer, includes information from cancer registries in five states (Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, New Mexico, and Utah) and four metropolitan areas (Atlanta, Detroit, San Francisco, Seattle). Each of these areas had a comprehensive cancer registry by the early 1970s. About 10% of the total U.S. population lives in these areas. SEER includes cancer incidence and mortality; but since the CDC web site is so comprehensive for mortality, SEER should only be used for incidence. The user can access the SEER data base
by clicking here to go to The 2002 volume is the most current SEER data. Additional years are added each spring. But each volume beginning in 1993 is also on the site; if these are needed, click “Previous Versions of the CSR” and select the desired year. The user will now view a long list of options. Many correspond to certain types of cancer; thyroid cancer, leukemia, and childhood cancer are often of great interest to radiation researchers. Click on the desired cancer type, and a series of reports on incidence and mortality trends and patterns will appear. The best use of SEER is to provide national cancer incidence rates to be compared with incidence near nuclear plants. 4. Disease incidence – State and county
cancer statistics County-specific data from the Illinois site from 1986 to 2000 can
be accessed by
clicking here to go to The user can select reports by county, or by community. After making this choice the user will be asked to select certain variables. An example of trends in childhood cancer incidence rates in Will County (near the Dresden plant) follows:
The output appears as follows: Year: 96-00 Each five year group will follow (95-99, 94-98, etc., with the final one appearing as) Year: 86-90 From the above data, we can observe that the Illinois rate rose from the late 1980s to the late 1990s (134.0 to 140.8) while the Will County rate declined slightly (140.6 to 138.9). In the late 1990s, the Will County rate (138.9) falls below the state rate (140.8) and the U.S. rate (146.4). 5. Medical journal articles The user can now select any combination of words, representing topics or authors, to obtain a list of articles. An example of one request would be to enter childhood leukemia AND nuclear plants. The article abstracts tend to be written in technical language, and does not present all data, so this site is limited. However, it can be helpful in obtaining professional backup for any research efforts. C. ISSUES THAT CAN BE ADDRESSED USING INTERNET DATA BASES
Commonly-Used Disease Codes
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