Current & Prospective Funders

The Radiation and Public Health Project was founded by concerned scientists and incorporated as a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization in 1994. Although small, RPHP already has made a significant contribution to understanding health effects of radioactive chemicals entering our bodies. We have published five books and 18 peer-reviewed journal articles and have testified before nine government panels. We have received extensive media coverage, including The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, BBC, and National Public Radio. Most recently our scientists were featured in Gary Null's award-winning documentary Fatal Fallout.

Foundations that have helped fund our work include The Louis and Harold Price Foundation, Applica Inc., Hopeless Records Sub City Records, Lichterman Loewenberg Foundation, Alex and Agnes McIntosh Foundation, University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, Oak Financial Group, Inc., The Health Foundation of South Florida, the Westchester County (NY) Legislature, William M. Weiss Foundation, and The Zimmer Family Foundation, as well as various individuals including Alec Baldwin, David Friedson, Burton Goldberg, Glenda Greenwald, Betty Guardiani, Gail Merrill, Marjorie Roswell, Pamela Slater, Karen Frankel and Bruce Montague, Jay and Jane Gould, Benjamin Goldman, and Dr. Ernest Sternglass.

Our current major projects are:

The Baby Tooth Study (Tooth Fairy Project).
RPHP has tested 4000 children's teeth for levels of radioactive Strontium-90. We found that average Sr-90 levels rose 50% in the 1990s, are highest near nuclear reactors, and appear linked to childhood cancer trends. We are the only U.S. organization measuring in-body radiation levels, and additional tooth testing will achieve statistical significance for results near additional reactors.

The Child Cancer Study.
As an outgrowth of the Tooth Fairy Project, we are conducting a study of teeth in children with cancer (100 teeth have been donated thus far). Preliminary findings show average Sr-90 levels are considerably higher than those of healthy children. We need many more teeth for our findings to be conclusive.

The Long-Term Health Effects (Baby Boomers) Study.
Our third major focus is the result of an unexpected gift of 85,000 individually-identified baby teeth from Washington University in St. Louis. These teeth, not used in a landmark 1958-1970 study, give us the unprecedented opportunity to determine whether Baby Boomers with the highest Sr-90 levels are at the greatest risk of developing cancer or dying by age 45.

Each of the above projects helps clarify the health risks associated with radiation exposure.