Nuclear power plants safe for workers: Study

If you think that working in nuclear power plants can bring on cancer then you may be wrong. A study done by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai thinks so. The 15-year study on power plant workers has come out with startling findings.

"The average natural incidence rate of cancer among workers at nuclear power plant sis 54.05/lakh compared to 98.5/lakh among general public.

Similarly, mortality rate due to cancer among general public is 68 per lakh, while it is 29.05 per lakh among NPCIL employees," said Siddharth Laskar, professor of oncology at Tata Memorial Hospital.

Laskar was present in Surat to attend a scientific meet on radiation and cancer held in the city recently. Top officials of NPCIL were also present at the seminar.

"This clearly indicates that workers at Indian nuclear power plants are safer and less prone to cancer and other radiation related incidents. Radiation is present everywhere even in our food and water, which is why all people are at risk," added Laskar.

The study was conducted on 17,700 workers from 1995 to 2010, where complete health profile of workers was taken into consideration.

The study also found that operation of nuclear power plants did not affect natural surroundings or ecology.

"One can even suffer radiation through X-rays, CT scans and others. A person could get exposed to so much radiation through a single X-ray. An NPCIL employee may be exposed to the same amount in 20 years," G Nageshwara Rao, director, operations of NPCIL, said.