Health studies are set to begin in Port Hope to determine if residents have been exposed to higher levels of radiation than people living in other parts of the province.

Port Hope council heard from Tedd Weyman, deputy director and field team leader of the Uranium Medical Research Centre Tuesday night, who explained the centre's medical and scientific research objectives.

"It is very simple and straightforward," said Dr. Weyman who along with a specialist in radiation illness, Dr. Asaf Durakovic, will proceed with recommendations by Port Hope's community health concerns committee to perform in-depth and independent studies on the effects of uranium and transuranic elements on humans and the environment.

Interested residents, or those who are concerned about local uranium emissions and low-level radioactive waste contamination in the municipality, can be assessed by a physician. They'll provide biological (urine) samples that will be tested in a laboratory to determine if the radiation they've been exposed to is natural or artificial - that is, commercially processed.

According to Dr. Weyman, naturally occurring radioactive materials, existing in their mineral state, are not usually present in ways that can contaminate humans.

A least six to 12 people need to be involved to conduct the studies, Dr. Weyman said. He noted baseline studies will be done in remote areas north of Port Hope where uranium would not have been mixed with fertilizers or used as fill.

"At this point there are many unanswered questions," Dr. Weyman told council.
He said the past, present and future risks of radiation exposure are unknown and there are missing pieces and gaps in previous studies and reports on the subject - including one done recently by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.

Medical and scientific data are needed to make decisions, he said. What is known is that artificial uranium is practically insoluble.

"It's very difficult for the body to metabolize," he said. "It stays in the lungs for a long time ... even after death."

Ingested uranium is cleared in a few days, whereas inhaled uranium can take months or decades to clear the body, he said. If it is insoluble, it can remain in the body permanently.
The results of the research done by the Uranium Medical Research Centre will be peer reviewed and published in international scientific and medical journals.

In answer to a question from Mayor Rick Austin, Dr. Weyman said he would be happy to work with the local medical officer of health during the study.

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