A note from the Editor: The following covers the activities of RPHP from January through April 2008

RPHP PART OF LARGE NEW JERSEY FORUM
On February 20, Joseph Mangano participated in a public forum on health risks posed by the Oyster Creek nuclear reactor. He presented a series of research findings, including high radioactive emissions from the reactor, high levels of Strontium-90 in local baby teeth, and high local rates of cancer, especially in children. The forum is the latest event in the RPHP campaign on Oyster Creek, which has included press conferences, public forums, newspaper editorials, cable TV shows, and testimony at regulatory hearings.Panelists for the forum, which was attended by about 300 spectators, included actor Alec Baldwin, Dr. Donald Louria of the New Jersey Medical School, and attorney Richard Webster of the Eastern Environmental Law Center. The forum was held in Toms River NJ and sponsored by the Ocean County League of Women Voters. Oyster Creek’s license expires in April 2009, and the application to federal regulators to extend the license for 20 more years is being opposed in the courts.

BOOK ON TOOTH STUDIES PUBLISHED
In February, Joseph Mangano’s book Radioactive Baby Teeth: The Cancer Link was published. The book reviews the history of radioactive contamination from nuclear weapons tests and nuclear reactor emissions, and the concern over rising childhood cancer rates. These factors led scientists to perform a number of studies that measured radioactive Strontium-90 in baby teeth; RPHP’s Tooth Fairy Project is the latest of these.Mangano’s book also describes the impact that these studies have had on policy. The tooth study by Washington University in St. Louis led to the enactment of the 1963 treaty banning all above-ground atomic bomb tests. RPHP has included results of the Tooth Fairy Project in policy discussions of the risks of keeping aging nuclear plants in service. Mangano’s book is available for purchase at www.barnesandnoble.com ($20).
To read a sample chapter, click here
To order from Barnes & Noble click here

CHRISTIE BRINKLEY RECOGNIZES RPHP WORK
RPHP was one of two organizations cited by model Christie Brinkley when she received the Smart Cookie award from Cookie Magazine on April 21. Brinkley, a long time supporter of RPHP, specifically cited the Tooth Fairy Project in her acceptance speech at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City. Brinkley also named the Global Security Initiative, which works for nuclear disarmament, in her acceptance speech. Each group named by an award winner was given a $5,000 grant by Avon Cosmetics.

22nd RPHP JOURNAL ARTICLE PUBLISHED
In April, Joseph Mangano’s article “Excess Infant Mortality After Nuclear Plant Startup in Rural Mississippi” was published in the International Journal of Health Services. The article documents sharp rises in infant death rates in the five counties within 30 miles of the Grand Gulf nuclear plant. Similar rises occurred in these five counties during the time when atomic bomb test fallout entered the environment in the 1950s and 1960s.The article discusses the implications for the proposal to build two new nuclear reactors at Grand Gulf. The area has a poverty rate nearly double the U.S., and about 58% of its residents are African-American, raising the issue of Environmental Injustice. The article is the 22nd published by RPHP members in a peer-reviewed publication since 1994.

NEWSPAPERS PUBLISH 26th and 27th RPHP EDITORIALS SINCE 2006
In March, two newspaper editorials written by Joseph Mangano were published. “Nuclear Energy and a New Hampshire Cancer Spike,” published in The Keene (NH) Sentinel, March 6, discussed the health risks for New Hampshire residents of keeping the Vermont Yankee reactor open for 20 more years. “Risky Coal-for-Nukes Tradeoff,” was published in The Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal on March 11. The Kentucky legislature is considering repealing a ban on building new nuclear reactors.

RPHP RECOGNIZES SUPPORTERS AT ANNUAL MEETING
RPHP gave awards to some of its most dedicated supporters at its annual meeting in New York on April 28. Those cited by RPHP included model Christie Brinkley, who worked closely with RPHP since the late 1990s; David Friedson, a current RPHP board member; Gail Merrill, a Connecticut breast cancer survivor and activist; and Bruce and Karen Montague, New York City attorney and designer.