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Cancer Answers is hosted by Dr. Anees Chagpar, Associate Professor of Surgical Oncology and Director of The Breast Center at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven Hospital, and Dr. Francine Foss, Professor of Medical Oncology. The show features a guest cancer specialist who will share the most recent advances in cancer therapy and respond to listeners questions. Myths, facts and advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment are discussed, with a different focus eachweek. Nationally acclaimed specialists in various types of cancer research, diagnosis, and treatment discuss common misconceptions about the disease and respond to questions from the community.Listeners can submit questions to be answered on the program at canceranswers@yale.edu or by leaving a message at (888) 234-4YCC. As a resource, archived programs from 2006 through the present are available in both audio and written versions on the Yale Cancer Center website.

Federal Regulators Halt Study of Cancer Risks at Seven Nuclear Plants

Nuclear Regulatory Commission flickr.com/photos/nrcgov/6517600977/
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Millstone Power Station, Units 2 and 3, Waterford, CT

Federal regulators are halting a five-year study of the risk of cancer in communities around six U.S. nuclear plants and a nuclear fuel site, including two Connecticut nuclear plants.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Tuesday that remaining work on a pilot study would take too long and cost too much, at $8 million. It's already spent $1.5 million. Completing the pilot study and subsequent nationwide reviews could take eight to ten years.

NRC spokesman Scott Burnell told WSHU Public Radio that the agency doesn’t believe the radioactive materials released by nuclear power plants pose a big enough risk to justify the time and expense.

“Even when nuclear power plants do have controlled and monitored releases into the environment, you end up with potential doses to the public that are so low, it’s very difficult to assign an increase in risk from these very small doses,” Burnell said.

The commission said it will continue to work from a 1990 study by the National Cancer Institute. That study showed no increased risk of cancer for people who live near nuclear power plants.

Anti-nuclear power group Beyond Nuclear said halting the study is outrageous, and that funding it is a legitimate cost.

In addition to the Connecticut plants, Millstone and Connecticut Yankee, other nuclear sites to be studied included active and decommissioned plants in California, Illinois, Michigan, and New Jersey, and a nuclear fuel fabrication plant in Tennessee.

Leyda Quast is an intern at WNPR. This report includes information from The Associated Press.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.