To establish the possible relation between breast cancer mortality and low doses of radiation due to fission products in the environment, the mortality rates in the nine census regions of the United States for the years 1984–1988 were correlated with the cumulative airborne releases from all the nuclear plants in each region for the period 1970–1987. A high correlation coefficient of 0.91 was obtained for a logarithmic dependence on the total releases, consistent with an indirect action via free-radical oxygen at very low dose rates, in contrast to a direct action on DNA at high dose rates, explaining the wide differences in risk per unit dose obtained in earlier studies. The recent temporal changes of breast cancer rates in the New York metropolitan area including nearby Connecticut, Westchester, and Long Island were examined in relation to the releases from nearby nuclear plants and found to be consistent with a dominant role of short-lived fission products in drinking water and fresh milk. The results support a major role for nuclear plant releases in industrial countries in the recent rises of breast and other forms of cancers not related to smoking, especially among older persons, and strongly support the need to replace nuclear reactors with more benign ways to generate electricity.
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