Old atom bomb testing caused cancers

The Radiation and Public Health Project said many thousands of Americans have died or will die from cancer due to exposure from the U.S. atomic bomb testing fallout, far more than the government estimate of 15,000.

The organization, which announced its research during a Tuesday news conference, said it based its estimate on an analysis of 85,000 baby teeth from people born during the 1950s and 1960s in the St. Louis area.

The study found levels of radioactive strontium-90 from atomic bomb testing fallout in the baby teeth of those who later died of cancer is more than double the level in healthy persons.

The organization said its analysis is the first to address cancer risk from bomb fallout by examining radiation levels in human bodies. strontium-90 and other radioactive isotopes were absorbed from food pregnant women ingested and passed to their unborn babies, officials said.

"The toll from bomb fallout is probably far greater than prior estimates," said Joseph Mangano, the group's executive director, who led the research. "Because 40 percent of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, it is crucial to understand causes such as bomb fallout, so actions to prevent the disease can be taken."

Officials said strontium-90 is a man made chemical that is not found in nature and which can only be acquired from exposure to nuclear fission.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International.