Re-posting from the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, Feb. 21, 2026

https://www.sierraclub.org/atlantic/finger-lakes/blog/2026/02/incidence-cancer-shown-increase-proximity-nuclear-power-plants

"A recent study done through the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health showed that in Massachusetts living near nuclear power plants was associated with significant increases of cancer in humans. It was published in December in the journal Environmental Health. Established in 2002, Environmental Health has an international readership and is rated in the top 25% of journals in this field. It covers primarily original research on the effects of chemical and physical agents in the environment that affect human health. 

The researchers estimated that over 20,000 cancer cases in the state (about 3.3% of all cases included in the study) were attributable to living near a nuclear power plant (NPP), with risk declining sharply beyond roughly 19 miles (30 kilometers) from one. Cancer incidence data by ZIP Code for the years 2000 to 2018 were obtained. The following cancers were included in the study: oral, esophageal, stomach, colorectal, pancreas, larynx, lung, melanoma, breast, cervix, uterine, prostate, testes, bladder, kidney, brain, thyroid, Hodgkin lymphoma, myeloma, and leukemia. The risk of developing cancer living near a nuclear power plant generally increased with age; this may be due to cumulative effects of radiation over time. The study controlled for other risk factors such as air pollution and sociodemographic factors. The cancers with the highest association with proximity to NPPs were thyroid and Hodgkin lymphoma.

There is widespread and potentially expanding reliance on the use of nuclear power in the U.S. According to the study, nuclear energy has been a cornerstone of the U.S. electricity landscape since the launch of its first commercial nuclear power plant in 1958. As of August 2023, the United States remains the world’s largest producer of nuclear electricity, with 93 operational reactors across 54 plants in 28 states. Despite a significant reduction in the number of reactors from a peak of 112 in 1990 to 93 in 2022 [25], nuclear power consistently contributes around 18–20% of the nation’s total electricity generation and over 50% of its "carbon-free" electricity (WNA, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)). Note that the production of nuclear fuel and construction of NPPs are carbon intense. Additionally, NPPs are very inefficient. Of all of the heat that the reactors produce, only one third actually goes to produce electricity. The other two thirds are released to the atmosphere as waste heat, which directly contributes to global warming.  

The study furthermore stated that, "amid growing concerns over energy security and the urgent need to decarbonize the power sector, interest in nuclear power has increased, particularly in advanced reactor technologies and small modular reactors (SMRs). Federal initiatives such as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and the 2025 executive order to quadruple U.S. nuclear capacity by 2050 have further fueled this momentum." These policy signals suggest that nuclear energy is expected to play an expanding role in the future U.S. electricity mix (WNA; U.S. Energy Information Administration).

Furthermore, the study stated that," the health and environmental implications of increased reliance on nuclear technology warrant careful consideration, particularly due to radioactive pollutants emitted from nuclear power plants. These pollutants can contaminate water, air, soil, and crops, exposing populations through inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact with primary emissions. Exposure can persist over time, for example, through radiation emitted from contaminated soil (also known as ground-shine emissions) [12]. Human exposure pathways depend largely on the transport medium-for instance, air can carry these pollutants as radioactive particulate matter and gases. Radiation from the decay of radionuclides emitted by nuclear plants has been extensively studied and is a well-established risk factor for multiple cancers [4, 9, 13, 14, 17, 27].

The study also stated that existing studies worldwide have produced mixed results. Some studies conducted internationally have reported that proximity to nuclear power plants has no impact on cancer risk [1, 6,7,8, 11, 18, 20, 21], whereas others have identified significant associations [5, 15, 23, 26, 28, 29].  "Given the mixed international epidemiologic evidence and the resurging interest in expanding nuclear power in the U.S., detailed analyses are increasingly crucial for accurately assessing the potential health risks associated with proximity to nuclear power plants. Previous ecological, national-level analyses conducted by our group (currently under review), which used the distance from the geographic center of each county to the nearest nuclear power plant, found consistently positive associations with all-cancer mortality, as well as lung, breast, and colorectal cancer mortalities across the United States [2, 3]. However, these national studies were conducted using data aggregated at the county level and relied on cancer mortality rather than incidence data, which may underestimate the full burden of cancer related to nuclear plant emissions." (My bolding)

Here is a link to the study: Residential proximity to nuclear power plants and cancer incidence in Massachusetts, USA (2000–2018) | Environmental Health | Springer Nature Link

Overall, the epidemiologic research investigating the health impacts of NPPs is limited. A subsequent article in the Finger Lakes Group website will discuss such findings in and around New York."