ML19323C061
| ML19323C061 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 02/29/1980 |
| From: | Minogue R NRC OFFICE OF STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT |
| To: | |
| References | |
| TASK-IR, TASK-SE SECY-80-117, NUDOCS 8005140616 | |
| Download: ML19323C061 (8) | |
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T 80051406/G IC.
UNITED STATES February 29, 1980 NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION SECY-80-ll7 WASHINGTON, D. C. 20555 INFORMATION REPORT For:
The Commissioners From:
Robert B. Minogue, Director Office of Standards Development
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/
Thru:.
Executive Director for Operations
~f
Subject:
REPORTED EXCESS NUMBER OF BIRTHS WITH THYROID ABNORMALITIES NEAR TMI
Purpose:
To inform the Commission of issues pertinent to the reported excess and the likelihood of an association with the TMI accident.
Discuss!on:
On February 21, 1980, a Washington Post article (Enclosure 1) stated that an abnormal number of children were born with serious thyroid defects in three of the counties near TMI in the latter part of 1979. A detailed discussion of relevant information regarding diagnoses, dosimetry and expected health effects is presented in Enclosure 2.
There appears to be no connection between the thyroid defects and TMI radiation releases.
N6M 0 c)plSo Robert B. Minogue, D rector Office of Standards Development
Enclosures:
1&2 Detailed Discussion
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DISTRIBUTION Commissioners Commission Staff Offices Exec Dir for Operations ACRS
Contact:
Secretariat R. Goldsmith, SD H. Peterson, SD 443-5860
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'- THis DOCUMENT CONTWO POOR qunUTY PAGES j L
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A-Plant Involved in Probe of Thyroid UlsI
" y By Victor Cohn of fodine 131 was released fiam the rel<l stand, a enndition not Hkely in he-resign. lie retained is has ich as a waMaa"* ew eian orm plant by the end of Aprit. Rhing a raus.it t*y radiation.1% tin sabt Th*
well regarded titofesu of puhlte three other 1.:tacan'er C *unly cases health astminiq. atma at the Uniecr.
A new controversv over the nuclear mutmum sadlation dase of the thy, are still smier atml), but one was a sity of Pitt*hus gh.
eceklant at %ree Ellke Island appears rohls of area sesidents of 8 to 20 millt twin elpeso tein 464 not get the dia.
Mactsnd. f m. agtee l that *lt is Im-iskriy to arise frons the discovery thst eaw so it's unihkelv" though not In>
possible" to assica any common cause I'
an abnormal number of children were horn utth serious thyreld defects ja Blackrround radiation provides 100 pm sible, she said. that the cause in to for the thyroid defects. Put he said three l'ennsylvania ecunties in the lat-millirem per bear. Testa of area real.
th6s case was enstronmentat, afare he was shoesed that the health de-both bables were subjected to the partment hed made no pubit-an-ter part of last year.
dents revealed no ladine in their bod.
amme envirnnment.
nouncement and had not starten an The condition is known as hypothy. - 8es.and none was detected in area an-toldiens, which arises when the thy-imais or la cows' mtlk. Boad saul. Te Another health authorste said that investleation of possilde causes. 'the told stand la either ahnent er doesn't affect fetuses born aineelee accident many populations, suem as the Amtsb.
first of the effected lancaver Cesinty predace normal hormone levels. It would have required a pickup of lod.
In Pennsylvanla have a migh concen-babies was horn last June. Two were tration of genetically related diseases.
born in July. and one each in August, een lead to grave mental retardation
- Ine,
- l don't think thera *e any cause and October arul November.
and stunted growth unless it la
.We would certainly not expect any effect" connected to Thsee Mlle In-Macleod also said itis " urgent
- to
'l"3'EIF I""Id effect on fetal thyrolds frons these land. Iwilm said. lir ycley agreed.
look far any posrtbly undetected cases Siete health effletals connrmed res-levela," Peterson said.
but esifed the timing *ppeullar and in nables horn at home amous the terday that during the last nine months of1979.13 bypothyreht bables 18 It[8 I"ne", parent company of the curious." and said *the fact that it did Amixh and other Pennsylvaniana eho g
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h mht tale an lam" ofte ch home dcHennes.
were born la three counties that mistht ordtnarily evpect three such,",
w t must be actued-Dyroid problems turned up anums The cases
- estatence nas disclosed, MarshallIslendets who wase esposed birthe during that length of time.
were ever high enough to cause fetal in an interview 3est3rday by Dr. Gor-to radtatlan from the fallout of a Ll.R They said they are about to start en thyroid prohlm don Martsod. who was Iconsylvania hydrogen bomb test in the Padfic a cpidemiologicallsvestigation that "of course" will have to consider low 4c,eg flowever, several local groups have health secretary at the tinie of the nn-March 1,8054.
radiation frorn the aceldent at Dree challenged the official radiation read-rinr accident.
m M e hw &
Mlle Island-located adjacent to one Ings, alleging that insufficient snonk Macleod became the state's eblef yesis later were two children. under 5 of the countime-as one possible cause, lors were in place or operating at the health officer on klarch le, only 12 at the tin,e of espesure, whose thysold time of the accident. Wind currenta days before the accid st. last Oct.10, glanda had disappeared.
But they-es weft as Dr. Thomas might have carried radioactJve partl-he said-after critic.rlag the state's eles over nearby monitors and depoas handling of the probter.3-that he was 5fsff wrifers Woffer Pinema and Jean-g Foley of Pittsburgh Children's llespp tat, an authority on hypothyrondam--
ited thent la faraway areas without asked by Gov. Richard Thornburgh to se Osiang contribnfed to this reporL g
'y all said that the conditions could have 5
the normal dispersal effect, these many possible causes.
groups have said.
They said they know of no esses of None of the hypothyrold etaes were O
hypothyroldtam ever canned by radla.
In arena that have been descrlhed as M
lion et the Boer level emitted by the la the main " plume
- or downwind de erippled reactor, though there la a rection of the Three Mue Island radle well+stabitshed associalloes between high doses of radioactive lodinewe tiott M
chemical emitted by the disabled reae-Sta cases occurred le lancaster ter-and thyroid disease. Radioactive County, thleh is east of Dauphie 1-d ladlee tends te concentrate la the thy-County, the reactor site. Four were in told stand, with destructive effecte Bucks County and three in Imhigh when the does is high enough.
County.
Radiation spectatista frona the Presk Ordinarily one baby in 3.000 le born dent's Commiaston on Three Mlle Is-with h>pothyroidista. In 1978 (the last land and the Nuclear Regulatory year for shich full birth statlatice Commission said flatly yesterday that were available yesterday) Lancaster Sodine emisalons from the March acci-County had S.5ikt live births. Bucks dent were f ar too low to have had any County,6.493, and Lehlgh,3,20L auch eM Unusual clusters, mere statistical "There cannet be any ennnection; I aberrallona, somettines occur la many can say that unequivocally," said Dr.
diseases,said Dr. Arnold Muller, see-Victor P. Bond, associate director of yetary of health in llartisburg.
the pecokhaven National fahoratories Also, said both Dr. Fo*ey and Dr.
for blamedical and environmental ecl.
Evetyn Bodin, a Pennsylvanta health ences, a member of the presidensla: department pediatrbaa a mwe M commission taak force on radf ation eal esplanation than reaistion has health effects. For thyreld effecta been found in three an$ passibly foue the dones would have to have been of the I.ancaster Ciusty cases, the thous. ands of thnes h! sher than they group most closely stud:ed so far.
,y,,
One had a famillat oc inherited con-Ilarold Peterson of the NRCs office ut standards said a total of 15 euries dition and two had a misplaced thy-Early Edition
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"=d r ''' " "se TIIE wAsutNc7DN POST '
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i nfant. Thyroid Ills' Stirring Three Mile Island inqq; iry j.
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'By Victer Cohn "
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- ! hey said they know of no esses of masisium radiatlos dose to the thy-rectice of the Three Mlle faland radle. thle ease was envir.mmental, alnre nouncement ash had not etarted 'an w as.m e aasan wense' h A new controversy over the miseleer. hypothyroidisas erer caused by radia.
raids of area residente of 5 to 30 milli.
tien.-
ties at the low level emitted by the.rema, both bables were suojected to the six casce ocevered is 1,ancaster name eartmemmt.
investlastlen of posglble causesL The scendent at Three Mike Island appeare crippled reseter. though there le a Background radiation provides 106
- Itkely to erlee frans.no disrevery thag. wellestabilshed assectation between ~
Another health author 87 said that first of the ofreaed laneaaler Cougtr milltrem per year. Teste el area resh ' County. 'which la east of Dauphin
- Jan abnormal number of children were high dosee of radioactive lodine-ene County, the rrector site. Four were in many populations, such as the Amish.
a m l'orn'last June. Two a79. 5 hhree Pennsylvanta countles in the lat. '. tor-and thyroid disease. Itadleacutechemical emitted by the disableit rese.* - dents revesled no lodine la their bed.
born with serious thyroid defeefa*la les, and Done was detected In eres an.
County. Bucks County and three la Lehlgh to Pennsylvania have a nerh conces.
ra in July ans one each in Auguste
. tee poet og last year.
ledine tende to concestrate in the thy-Ifnale er la cows' milk. Bond said. Te '
- 8."*"
- I'"# *'*"I affect fetuses born since the accident Ordinarily one Isaby in 3,000 la born *[ efffe he All e
- I The condittom is known at hypothy. '
'8, "III st av effects with hypothyroldlam. In telt(the last to s
Toldism, which erlaes when, the thy.
Ia k westd have required a pickup of tod-i year for which full b,Leth stettstles' land'sNed the timlag 'eatullar and in Anbles hora a home llodin said. Dr. Feley agreed av MW unktwW ca#
Inc.
ero64 aland is either absent er doesn't Radiation spectatists from the. Prest.
"We would certainly not espect anF but e were available 3esterday) Leacaster
'produc7 normal horneene levela. It dent's Cammission en Three Mlle Is..effect on fetal thyrolds freus these County had 8.50@ !!ve airths. Bucks curieus" and said "the fact that it di;l Amish and other Pennsylvantans she.
'can lead to grave mental retardatles land and the Nuclear Regulatory levels." Peterson said.
County. 8.4s3. and Lehigh. 3.2DS.
follow the ace
- dent reinee an issue" that must be settled.
often cho.eser ison.e deliveries.
I and stunted growth,unless it is Commlaslon said flatly yesterdsy that A. spokesmen for General Pubile Unusual clusters, mere sistlatical i
The esses
- esistence ass disclosed Dyroid problems turned up omR;
..quickly treated.
, **ledine emissions frhm the March accl.
1Jttiltles lae parent company of the aberrations, sometimes occur la manF 6 In as laterview yestnrday Isy Dr. Go,.
MarshallIsIrndert'who weie expogd j
l' Stat) heelth officiale confirnaed yes. dent mere far too low to have had ear utility that owns %ree bille Island, diseases, said Dr. Arnold Statler, sec. don MaclAed, who was Jennsylvania
- 6terday that during the last nine said no ledise meessurements taken '
each effect.
la ffarrisburg. '
to radiation from the fallout of a U Sep retary of health m Dr. Fu'ey and Dr.health secretary at the time of the au-
' l months of1979.13 bypothyreld bobles *
"There cannot be any connection: I were ever hiah eneush to esuse fet*1 Ag g,,,gd >*
clear sectdent.
hydrogen bomb tget ta the Factflems
.lwere born in three countless thag, een say that unequivocally." sold Dr.;, thyroid problems.
Evelyn P 4 e. a Pennsylvania heshn,
blactAnd became the State *a ehlfP
- March 1.1954.
i emight ordinarUp espect three auch.* Victor P. Send, anseelste director of.
.dep
- barthe du Ing that length of time ' the Brookhaveh NationalI,aboratories.. Ilowever. several local groups havd e. eNent pediatric sd. a snore logi. ' health officer on E! arch 16, only 33
.De Drst tahs dwned E.M aThey said they are eheut 18 start 84 for blamedical and environmental ecl.
che'lenged the offtelal radiatlos read-explanation' the v
4 e
Ings, alleging that lasufilelent naml.
been found la three and possibly fourtenaatten hasj' days before the accid one, l.ast Ort'10. Petes later frere tre childre he said-after critir; sing the state's at the He'e of espsure, wl.cse thyd
'epidemiologicaPinvestigation that "of eaces, a snember of the presidential
' icourse* wHl have to consider low-level commission task force os radiatica lors were la place or operating et the of the I,ancaster Caudtv cases, the handling of the problasothat he was glande had disapleared.
time of the occident. Wind currents. group most closely stud:ed so f ar.
asked by Goe. Richard Thornburgh to Altagether,of *. childreu under II:
t radiatlos from the accident at Three health effects. "For thyroid effects might have carr6ed radioactive parti.
One had a famittal or in%erited cos... resign. Ile returned to bes job as a who lived on Ra'gelop taland
&lHe Island-located adjacent to one...the desee would have to have heen dition and two had a misplaced thy.
eles evet nearby snenitore and depos.
- rold gland.a condittoa set takely to be. swellregarded professor of publie
- lip ralles front the test alte. Is desel-lsof the eeuntles-se one possible cause.
- thoessado of tienes bisher than they' lied them la faraway areas without ' caused by radiallon. Bodla said. The ' alty of Pittsburgh.I.ealth adelaistratloa at the Untrerw ope.1 thyrold probenW or tumcra bee.
But they-as well as Dr. Thomas wae."
the normal dispersal effect, these three other IJacaster County casee MacLeod. loo. agreed that *lt la In>
Tktr dosa;e..seerding to measurena 1Foley of Pittsburgh ChHdren's lleepl.
Ilarold Peterson of the NRC's office groups have said.
sinnind 10 vo rs afer eipos.are.
o
' tat, as authority en hypothyreldlaan. of standarda said a total of 16 curles None of the hypothyrold esses were twin whose twin did not get the dia.
yet to the thyroid defects. But he said alon in 1934. was reyerted at 175 BinlJ are still under study, but one was a possible" to seeign any common cause smerta b/ the Atorric Energy Cenunk J
sal ' that the conditions could have of lediae lit wee released from the le areas that have bee 7.,esibi. causes.
,ia.t b, the.ad of A,rii. givian a in ihe emain,luse
.,n described as
)
ease "so it*e unlikely" though met.Im.
he was shorsed that t partmesi hed inade.he health de-dew. wind di.
1
,0.tibie, she said, ihat the case in Sta
.e D.ff.w,riters,, Waler, F,e,cus and J is
. pubiie an.
,en b.,7 u,,%-
e 1
Late Edition f
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Pn:parsd by: R. Goldsmith H. Paterson ENCLOSURE 2 Children born with thyroid defects were discovered through the normal operation of a neonatal metabolic screening program that has been i
operating since July 1978. These defects resulted in diagnoses of hypo-thyroidism. Although baseline incidence data on hypothyroidism are not available for Pennsylvania, the number of cases detected statewide in 1979 is no more than expected, based on previous studies in the 11nited States and Canada, according to Dr. Evelyn Bodin of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, who heads up the screening program.
The purpose of the neonatal screening program is to find newborns with metabolic defects such as phenylketonurea and hypothyroidism early enough after birth to prevent severe mental retardation.
Several states, including New York, New Jersey and Maryland have similar programs.
Hypothyroidism is detected in the program by looking for depressed levels of thyroid hormone and elevated levels of thyroid stimulating hormone in the infant's blood.
Confirmation is done by thyroid scan. The thyroid scan can determine whether the hypothyroidism is due to the absence of a gland, difficulty with hormone synthesis or release, or displacement of the gland from its nonnal position.
Sometimes, however, confirmatory studies are not done or not reported to the health department, resulting in the classification of the 4
cause as " unknown on scan". According to Dr. Bodin, the fourteen cases of hypothyroidism are classified as follows:
Lancaster County (7 cases) 1 was a case of severe multiple brain abnormalities
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Lancaster County (contd) 2 were cases of dysgenesis, i.e. the thyroids were displaced from their normal position 1 was a case of dyshormonalgenesis, i.e. it is familial and inherited as an autosomal recessive 3 were " unknown on scan" (One of these occurred in January 1979, before theaccident)
Bucks County (4 cases) 3 were " unknown on scan" 1 was a case of dysgenesis, i.e. displaced from its normal position Lehigh County (3 cases)
I was " unknown on scan" 2 cases were twins who had no thyroids E xcept for those cases that were " unknown on scan", these types of anomalies are not expected to result from direct or indirect exposure of the fetus to radioiodine.
Dr. Bodin reported that "there is no reason why they should be related to radiation."
Lehigh and Bucks counties are not adjacent to Dauphin County (where TMI is) and Lancaster county is southeast of the site.
The Post article reports that local groups contend that " insufficient monitors were in place or not operating at the time of the accident" and that " wind currents might have carried radioactive particles over nearby monitors and deposited them in faraway areas." This kind of reasoning would be necessary to explain the pattern of the reported excess incidence.
However, it should be noted that estimates of the radiciodinc releases are not subject to the same degree of u'ncertainty that is associated with the quantity of the noble gas activity 9.
.- release. The amount of radiciodine released has been estimated from the amounts retained on the effluent particulate and charcoal filters.
By analyzing the distribution of radiciodine with depth of the filter, it was possible to estimate the efficiency of the filters and th'e quantity released.
Both the NRR staff and Special Investigation Group (Rogovin Report) estimated that approximately 15 curies of radiofodine -131 were released, the maximum quantity estimat2d by the Rogovin group was 32 curies. Analysis of effluent air sample cartridges by the licensee gave estimates of 14.1 curies of iodine -131 and 2.6 curies of iodine -133.
All estimates are for the pericd March 28 - April 30,1979. The total uncertainty is therefore within a factor of 2.
3 pCi/m
- occurred The m.ximum airborne iodine concentrations of 120-250 mid t,pril in connection with replacement of the auxilliary building charcoal filters. The maximum predicted thyroid dose from inhalation was approximately 20 millirem **to a child.***
Extensive milk monitoring was performed by EPA, FDA, NRC, the State, and the licensee. The maximum radiciodine concentration in cow's milk was 36 pCi/ liter which would have resulted in a thyroid dose to an infant of less than 5 millirem.
Higher radiotodine concentrationswere observed in goat's milk (41 pCi/ liter and 110 pCi/1).
Even though this milk was not used for human consumption,
- The 10 CFR Part 20 concentration limit for continuous annual exoosure is 100 pCi/m3
- for the period March 28 - April 30,1979.
- NRC staff panel report to the Commission on Extraordinary Muclear Occurrence (NUREG-0637), Appendix E, page 30
=
...h.s has been found to be prevalent in the exposed Marshallese at doses of about 50 rem (27-95 rem).
Based upon a conservative upper bound estimated total collective dose at TMI of 4580 person-rem (3300 total body,1100 thyroid-rem from milk and 180 thyroid-rem from inhalation) the expected number of cases of hypo-thyroidism would be 0.6 (range 0.1-2.8) based upon our calculations using the Marshallese risk data.
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- the projected thyroid doses to infants would be 5 millirem and approximately
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14 millirem, for the 41 and 110 pCi/ liter concentrations. These values are under the 10 CFR Part 50, Appendix I design objective for normal operation of 15 millirem per year per reactor unit.
Although the uptake physiological parameters for the fetus are not well defined, a conservative upper bound estimate is that the thyroid dose to a fetus might be as high as 10 times the maternal adult dose. This would give a maximum thyr'oid dose to a fetus of 140 millirem from inhalation plus 50 millirem from-milk ingestion or approximately 200 millirem total fetal thyroid dose.
i Estimates of the health effects of thyroid irradiation are derived from studies of persons irradiated for ringworm, Marshallese Islanders exposed to fresh fallout, and atomic bomb victims. The risk estimate (based on children and teenagers) derived from the Marshallese data is 175 thyroid cancers per million-person-rem. These are from substantial doses, the average thyroid dose being 200 rem. The risk is believed to be higher in younger children. When adjusted for the U.S. population, an average risk of 50-70 thyroid cancers per 106 person-rem would be more appropriate. When applied i
to the doses at Three Mile Island (3300 person-rem total body + 1280 thyroid-rem), approximately 0.27 potential thyroid cancers would be predicted using the population average risk and 0.8 potential cancers using the higher Marshallese risk value for children. Thyroid cancer can be effectively treated and the fatality rate is less-thar. 10 per cent.
Radioactive iodine is routinely used for therapy of hyperthyroidism (overd active thyroid) at doses of the order of 1000 rem or more and hypothyroidism is commonly observed as a result.
Impaired thyroid function (hypothyroidism)
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