The recent, surprising negative findings in the Hanford
Thyroid Disease Study offer a stunning reminder of just how
harsh a taskmaster epidemiology can be. If the best dose
reconstruction money can buy didn't yield results
satisfactory to citizens at Hanford, then it would be wise
for residents of Northern New Mexico to go into this process
with modest expectations.
Thyroid Disease. The prospects for linking the Los
Alamos thyroid cancer cases of 1988-1993 to historical
emissions of radioiodine would appear to have dimmed due to
the Hanford findings. Yet it may be possible to show a
close relationship in time between radioiodine releases from
LANL and thyroid disease in children, because childhood
thyroid cancer is so rare (and historically so high in Los
Alamos) and the latent period may be as short as five years.
There are many stones left unturned (e.g., Questions #14,
16, 20, 29, 30, 34, 36, 39) from previous studies to justify
CDC's prompt attention to potential historical sources of
radioiodine around LANL. A closer examination of external
radiation exposures and thyroid disease is also
overdue.
Brain Cancer. Similarly, the brain cancer cluster of
the late 1980's cries out for attention to past exposures.
At LANL, the Western Area's proximity to CMR Building
(Question # 26) entices one to think "plutonium." It should
be noted that Dr. Gregg Wilkinson and colleagues found
increased rates of brain cancer in workers at Rocky Flats,
but a dose-response gradient was evident only for external
radiation -- not for plutonium. Sources of external
radiation at LANL (Question #38) also deserve a closer
look.
Off the Hill. Perhaps of greatest value will be
CDC's estimates of radiation releases that caused exposure
to populations "off the hill." If exposures were tiny, then
it may not be necessary for epidemiologists to study health
problems on the Pueblos. On the other hand, if serious
contamination is present then tribal governments will have
their hands full modeling exposures from traditional
practices . Similarly, residents of Espanola may be able to
breathe a sigh of relief; or they may choose to get more
involved with the workplace issues NIOSH seeks to
address.
Other Historical Concerns. Epidemiology aside, in
Northern New Mexico there are many, many compelling reasons
for moving ahead aggressively on historical documents
discovery at LANL. The nagging issue of "background"
plutonium in Northern New Mexico is long overdue for
independent assessment. A never-published internal 1990
LANL analysis suggested that plutonium stack emissions from
TA-21 (DP West) were much greater than officially reported
(Question #4). Irregularities in historical monitoring
reports (Questions #7, #12) lend support to the undercurrent
of public skepticism toward LANL assurances regarding past
emissions. Longstanding problems with DOE and LANL
information access practices (Questions #2 and #5) have only
heightened suspicions.
Priority Issues. Health Division Monthly Progress
Reports provide a revealing narrative of day-to-day
historical health and safety concerns at Los Alamos.
Installments in this series later than 1964 have not yet
been released to the public (Question #15). Curiously, this
is right around the time that the wattage of Omega West
Reactor was increased from 5 to 8 MW for "national security"
purposes (Questions #17 and #18), against the wishes of AEC
safety personnel in Washington, D.C.. In 1969 in the months
after the fire at Rocky Flats, strange things were going on
at DP West (Question #11; Cover). Declassification of the
Health Division Monthly Progress Reports after 1964 should
be a priority for CDC.
Role of Citizens. CDC and its badged contractors can
carry the public's concerns and hunches into the Archives,
the Classified Reports Collection and every nook and cranny
of the LANL paperwork kingdom. Whether they emerge with
anything of lasting value to Northern New Mexico depends
upon the willingness of citizens to support and participate
in their efforts.
NIOSH and the CDC Radiation Studies Branch do serious
work under difficult circumstances. They get thoughtful
oversight from the federal Advisory Committee on Energy
Related Epidemiologic Research (ACERER), and its feisty
Community Working Group. ACERER is a formal federal
advisory committee which meets four times per year to
oversee health studies at DOE sites. But like all
government agencies, CDC and NIOSH are only as good as the
participation and demands they get from affected citizens.
Origin of These Documents. All of these documents
were obtained without a security clearance, using time-
honored methods of scholarship such as looking up footnotes;
long hours in reading rooms, microfiche and archival
collections; interviews with retirees; collegial exchanges
with groups like CCNS; and targeted use of the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA). Thank you to CCNS, especially Jay
Coghlan and Colin King, for agreeing to distribute some of
the historical questions I have accumulated in the course of
my dissertation work at Boston University School of Public
Health. CCNS and other watchdog groups provide an essential
function. Intellectuals can lose sight of difference
between objectivity and neutrality. It's good to remain
objective. But it's also good to come to a few value
judgments. No matter what we do for a living, we're all
"citizens."
