I’ve reported on this major US study, several times before but it remains at the centre of US debate as it’s findings spread across the vastness of the US when plans for new or recommissioned nuclear plants enter local media.

UK media have, to my knowledge, never acknowledged this gold standard research, fearful of its potential impact on the current Labour government’s plans.

From the New Hampshire Union Leader, yesterday:

Older adults who live in U.S. counties that are closer to operating nuclear power plants may have a greater risk of dying from cancer, according to a new study led by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. That is the case even when accounting for socioeconomic, environmental and health care factors, the researchers found in the study published last month in Nature Communications.

Full audio report at: https://www.unionleader.com/news/health/115-000-cancer-deaths-in-8-years-what-a-new-study-suggests-about-nuclear-power/article_57f2f7a0-6d3b-4e37-91dc-0922ae74dae5.html

The original research found:

Understanding the potential health implications of living near nuclear power plants is important given the renewed interest in nuclear energy as a low-carbon power source. Here we show that U.S. counties located closer to operational nuclear power plants have higher cancer mortality rates than those farther away. Using nationwide mortality data from 2000-2018, we assess long-term spatial patterns of cancer mortality in relation to proximity to nuclear facilities while accounting for socioeconomic, demographic, behavioral, environmental, and healthcare factors. Cancer mortality is higher across multiple age groups in both males and females, with the strongest associations among older adults, males aged 65–74 and females aged 55–64.

Full report in the prestigious high impact journal Nature is at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-69285-4

For a high quality UK study finding the same: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/02/20/a-message-for-scotlands-voters-as-labour-double-down-on-nuclear-researchers-revisit-study-of-essex-nuclear-power-station-and-breast-cancer-incidence-among-mature-women-nearby-to-find-an-even-great/

For a short video summary of the above: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/02/21/breast-cancer-among-mature-women-far-higher-living-near-nuclear-power-stations-message-for-anas-short-video/