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The Effect of Nuclear Power Plants on Birth Defects
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The Effect of Nuclear Power Plants on Birth Defects

Sep 27, 20246 min read

As of 2021, the United Nations reports that 32 countries operate 443 nuclear reactors for electricity generation, with 55 new nuclear plants under construction (2021). Currently, 18% of electricity production stems from nuclear power plants (Energy Information Administration, 2023). Nuclear power plants are considered clean and resourceful due to their zero carbon emissions, especially when compared to fossil fuels, biomass energy, and waste incineration (IPCC, 2017). However, issues regarding electricity production from nuclear power sources exist. According to Cindy Folkers and Linda Pentz Gunter, experts in nuclear safety, “Anecdotal evidence within communities around nuclear facilities suggests an association between radiation exposure and increases in birth defects, miscarriages and childhood cancers” (2022). Deformations develop in fetuses of women inhabiting regions surrounding power plants due to exposure from radioactive disposal sites due to various factors. Folkers and Gunter express how the negligence of care for byproducts of power plants pose threats to future generations of surrounding families (2022). 


Within Illinois, half of the state’s energy roots from nuclear power facilities, but could this also result in defects? Research suggests that birth defects amongst individuals near nuclear power plants result from radioactive contamination in Illinois. While improper radioactive waste disposal contributes to higher defect rates, other aspects examine the impact of nuclear power sources on birth defects. By analyzing the safety, social, and environmental considerations, it is clear that nuclear power sources contribute to a great extent of birth defects within individuals surrounding those regions in the state of Illinois, U.S.




Safety Considerations 

Safety regulations regarding the disposal of radioactive substances with nuclear power sources can cause harmful side effects if laws are not abided with properly. If radioactive materials aren’t disposed of carefully, they can transmit through sources, causing radiation exposure to individuals.


An article published by Front Public Health (FPH), a multidisciplinary journal reviewing environmental and health impacts of air pollution, states that radioactive substances can contaminate water bodies and affect humans, which is known for causing defects when concentrated in bones (Manisalidis et al., 2020). When incorrectly handling radioactive materials, radioactive pollutants dissolve within the water, air, and soil, causing radioactive pollution, which develop into birth defects in pregnant women residing in the region (Manisalidis et al., 2020). However, Lance Industries, the largest manufacturer of nuclear protection products in North America providing anti-contamination, states how although exposure to radioactive materials can increase the risk of birth defects, it can be decreased through a disposal method of radioactive waste from nuclear power sources (2020). Incineration, the burning of radioactive waste, promotes the isolation of radioactive residues, avoiding vast amounts of radioactive waste being disposed of in containers (Lance Industries, 2020).


Despite incineration being rewarding towards residing individuals, Hisham Zerriffi, an associate professor in Forest Resources Management at the University of British Columbia, contradicts the statements mentioned and expresses how incineration develops toxic compounds, namely dioxins and furans, that are hazardous for resulting in birth defects when transmitted into the air (2000). Although many states permit incineration, the Illinois Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Act prohibits incineration and shallow land burial of radioactive waste (Illinois General Assembly, n.d.). Illinois stores their waste on a site preventing it from transmitting through the environment.


Storing radioactive waste on a site can be efficient to an extent, but individuals monitoring it can get negatively affected. Although disposal treatments can be efficient in decreasing radioactive waste, it leads to developed birth defects through radiation exposure throughout the U.S., compared to Illinois’ storage of radioactive materials in a secure site where it was produced.


Social Considerations 

Families near nuclear power sources are often discovered to be households of low income. In these communities, families of color facing serious economic hardships and poverty, experience birth defects as a result of insufficient awareness. Cindy Folkers and Linda Pentz Gunter state that non-white and indigenous communities of pregnant women near nuclear production facilities are at a disproportionately higher risk of harm from radioactive exposure to these releases due to discrimination, socioeconomic, and cultural factors in the U.S., including Illinois (2022). Children within poor communities with fewer resources and reduced access to healthcare are more vulnerable to radiation exposure (Folkers & Gunter, 2022). Even when these individuals get affected by radiation, resulting in hazardous defects, and lacking access to proper medical aid, they lack publicity within media platforms due to contempt for their financial status. Mediums focus on stories that tend to receive vast interest, in contrast to stories regarding financially-stricken individuals.


However, a report regarding housing values near nuclear reactors in the US created by Skylar M. Olsen, an economist, and Hendrik Wolff, a professor of Environmental Economics, states how the placement of a commercial nuclear power plant causes housing values within the plume exposure pathway (10 mile surrounding area) to decrease by 10.9% (2013). 75% of low-income individuals in these estates are colored out of 24% of the state’s population due to their financial state of not affording a property within cities, and believe it to generate a cheaper lifestyle. Although on the short end of the spectrum, it is perceived as

cheaper, the long-term impacts include the risk of harm from diseases, cancers, and birth defects, which lead to high healthcare expenses. Suzanne H. Reuben, an expert in cancer biology, states when populations exposed to similar carcinogen(s) develop related health problems, the result may be higher health care costs at the individual level and potentially significant public health issues and societal costs (2010). Although affordable housing alternatives are within these regions, it contains the potential of contributing to major health, financial, and societal costs.


Environmental Considerations 

Nuclear power facilities often lead to the improper disposal of radioactive materials, which can transmit to organisms within the surrounding environments, leading to birth defects amongst individuals.


Jerry Elmer and Hannah Harris, experts in nuclear energy, state that once the radioactive daughter elements generated in the amount of radioactivity get released into the environment, the isotopes can then accumulate through the food chain, where they pose a risk to people, plants, and animals (2015). When improperly handling radioactive substances, exposure to radiation can transmit to plants and animals, which is traversed down the food chain through consumption, resulting in birth defects amongst pregnant women. Despite this, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), a trade association advocating for nuclear power on behalf of nuclear-industry interests, states how close to every year, nuclear-generated electricity saves the atmosphere from more than 470 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions that would come from fossil fuels (2020). Although zero carbon emissions come from nuclear energy sources and are healthy for the atmosphere, compared to fossil fuels, they also generate radioactive substances outweighing the concern of a clean atmosphere, and result in birth deformations amongst residing individuals in Illinois.


Conclusion 

Assessment of safety, social and environmental considerations reveals that despite long-standing regulations, improper disposal of radioactive substances can lead to radiation exposure, potentially increasing birth defects in pregnant women. To calculate these risks in individuals based on their radiation exposure, Machine Learning (ML) models can be developed to detect them in the early stages of pregnancy. Unfortunately, privacy laws and data quality limit the device in detecting birth defects. A report by Guang Hu and Wilfried Pfingsten on ML for disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) states if combined with the ML methods, data-driven machine learning (DDML) appears to be powerful and can handle complex issues without much prior knowledge of the system (2023). . DDML models handle complex situations without prior knowledge of the system, making them superior for solving issues in HLW disposal. Although privacy regulations can limit access to data on birth defects and the quality of data can vary widely, ML models can develop tools to reduce the risk of birth defects by identifying risk factors, developing early detection tools, and developing personalized treatment procedures.



 

Written by Surya Subramaniam

References

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9557777/ 

  • Hu, G. & Pfingsten, W. (2023). Data-driven machine learning for disposal of high-level nuclear waste: A review. ScienceDirect. 

https://www.ejp-eurad.eu/sites/default/files/2022-10/Data-driven%20machine%20learnin g%20for%20disposal%20of%20high-level%20nuclear%20waste-a%20review.pdf 

  • Illinois General Assembly. (n.d.) Nuclear safety: Illinois low-level radioactive waste management act. 

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=1617&ChapAct=420%26nbsp%3b ILCS%26nbsp%3b20/&ChapterID=37&ChapterName=NUCLEAR+SAFETY&ActNam e=Illinois+Low-Level+Radioactive+Waste+Management+Act. 

  • Lance Industries. (2020). The process of radioactive waste incineration. 

https://www.lancsindustries.com/blog/radioactive-waste-incineration/#:~:text=Incineratio n%20of%20Radioactive%20Waste%3A%20How,ash%2C%20flue%20gas%20and%20he at.

  • NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS EFFECTS ON BIRTH DEFECTS 8 

Manisalidis I., Stavropoulou E., Stavropoulos A. & Bezirtzoglou E. (2022, February 20). Environmental and health impacts of air pollution: A review. Front Public Health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7044178/ 

  • Nuclear Energy Institute. (2020). Climate: Nuclear energy provides more than half of America’s carbon-free electricity. 

https://www.nei.org/advantages/climate#:~:text=Every%20year%2C%20nuclear-generate d%20electricity,passenger%20vehicles%20off%20the%20road 

  • Olsen, S. M. & Wolff, H. (2013, December). Nuclear Reactors in the US: Housing Values, Sorting, Migration, and Employment 

https://econ.washington.edu/sites/econ/files/old-site-uploads/2014/06/Olsen-Wolff-2014-Nuclear aper.pdf 

  • Reuben, S. H. (2010, April). Reducing environmental cancer risk. 

https://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/annualreports/pcp08-09rpt/pcp_report_08-09_50 8.pdf 

  • United Nations. (2021). Atomic energy. 

https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/atomic-energy#:~:text=Nuclear%20energy%20in%2 0numbers,quarter%20of%20their%20total%20electricity. 

  • Zereffi H. (n.d.). Comments of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research on the Department of Energy Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Facility RCRA and TSCA permit. 

https://ieer.org/resource/radioactive-waste/comments-of-ieer-on-doe-advanced-mixed-wa ste-treatment-facility-rcra-and-tsca-permit/



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