Published in the Asbury Park Press
By JEAN MIKLE
TOMS RIVER BUREAU
TOMS RIVER -- Slightly elevated levels of a nuclear fission byproduct found in attic dust collected from older homes in Dover Township could be related to emissions of radioactivity from the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant during the mid- to late-1970s, the associate director of Rutgers University's Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute said.
Paul Lioy, who directed a study of "historic dust" collected from eaves and beams of attics in 167 township homes, said levels of Cesium-137 were highest in older homes, or those built before the 1980s.
Cesium-137 is a product of nuclear fission, and the large majority of the substance found in the attic dust is connected to nuclear weapons testing that happened in the 1950s and 1960s. But Lioy said a small fraction of the radionuclide found in the attic dust may be related to emissions from Oyster Creek.
"There was a period of time in which there was probably additional fallout due to another source," Lioy said.
Lioy's comments were made during Monday night's meeting of the Citizens Action Committee on Childhood Cancer Cluster.
He added that the largest emission releases reported by Oyster Creek between 1975 and 1981 seem to be connected to higher levels of Cesium-137 found in attic dust in older homes that were built before that time.
Lioy stressed that the levels of Cesium-137 found in Dover attic dust are far below those considered dangerous. The amount found is similar to that discovered in attic dust in Las Vegas, which was affected by nearby nuclear weapons testing.
"We did not find levels that were toxic," Lioy said. "It's not there in levels that one would want to go and clean up an attic."
But the emissions from Oyster Creek have been been included in the ongoing epidemiological study that compares families of children with cancer with those families whose children did not develop the disease, he said.
"We're looking at the actual emissions of certain products in the epi study," Lioy said. That study is expected to be released Dec. 18.
Jill A. Lipoti, assistant director of Radiation Protection Programs for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said the emissions from Oyster Creek during the 1975 to 1981 period were "within the limits allowed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission."
She said the higher-than-normal radiation releases could have been caused by pinhole leaks in fuel that happen before the plant's normal shutdown for refueling.
The emissions from the power plant have dropped off tremendously since the late 1980s and are almost impossible to detect today, Lioy said.
"Over the years, chemical engineers have learned how to better control emissions from nuclear power plants," Lipoti said. "We do see the levels decreasing."
Except for the slight increase in Cesium-137 in older homes, the analysis of attic dust in Dover found it to be very similar to dust collected in "control" homes, including houses in Piscataway, Middlesex, Red Bank and Cranford, Lioy said.
Thirty-four control homes were tested.
No evidence of red or orange azo dyes were found in any of the attic dust samples tested, Lioy said. Researchers had looked for dye residue, particularly in homes located close to the former Ciba-Geigy Corp. plant, where those dyes were manufactured.
Lead levels were higher in older homes, but Lioy said that is most likely due to the past emissions of lead from vehicles using leaded gasoline, which is now banned.
Published on October 31, 2001
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