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Important Notice: The Hanford Health Information Network (HHIN) closed in May, 2000. HHIN Web pages are provided as archived information only, and are not currently maintained. Information contained on the HHIN Web pages may be out-of-date. Current information is available through the Hanford Community Health Project, which is updated by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Thousands of Hanford downwinders have called the HHIN toll-free information lines with questions about the radioactive releases from Hanford. Following are the most frequently asked questions, arranged in four subject categories. Clicking on a subject category takes you to the section with questions on this subject. After each question are the names of the publications on this Web site where you can find information that responds to the question. When you click on a publication name, the link will take you to the publication or, in some cases, to a section within the publication. Please keep in mind that definitive answers are not always possible given the uncertainties surrounding Hanford's releases of radioactive materials and radiation science. For further information, you may wish to read the entire publication.
Hanford History and Scope of the EmissionsFollowing is a list of questions about the history of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and the scope of Hanford's emissions of radioactive materials. After each question are the names of publications on this Web site where you can find information that responds to the question. When you click on a publication name, the link will take you to the publication or, in some cases, to a section within the publication. Please keep in mind that definitive answers are not always possible given the uncertainties surrounding Hanford's releases of radioactive materials and radiation science. For further information, you may wish to read the entire publication. 1. Am I a downwinder? Did I live in the exposure area? 2. Where did the radiation go? 3. How much radiation was released from Hanford? 4. When did the major releases occur? 5. How many people were exposed to Hanford's releases? 6. I am member of a Native American tribe who lived in the path of Hanford emissions. We ate a lot of fish from the Columbia River. What is known about the exposure that my family and I received? 7. Migrant workers were in the area exposed to Hanford's releases. Is anyone trying to find and inform this population? 8. Who was responsible for the Hanford releases? 9. How much did scientists know about radiation health effects in the 1940s and 1950s?
Radiation and HealthFollowing is a list of questions about how radiation exposure, especially the radionuclides released from Hanford, might affect health. After each question are the names of publications on this Web site where you can find information that responds to the question. When you click on a publication name, the link will take you to the publication or, in some cases, to a section within the publication. Please keep in mind that definitive answers are not always possible given the uncertainties surrounding Hanford's releases of radioactive materials and radiation science. For further information, you may wish to read the entire publication. 1. What kinds of radiation was I exposed to and how could this affect my body? 2. Is there any way to prove that my illness was caused by radiation from Hanford? 3. I grew up in an area downwind from Hanford. What medical tests are recommended? 4. Was it safe to eat fish from the Columbia River or to irrigate crops with river water? 5. I swam in the Columbia River near Hanford as a child. Was this potentially harmful? 6. My health care provider said that my exposure to radioactive releases from Hanford is nothing to be concerned about. Is this right? 7. Do you have information about Hanford's releases and potential health effects that I can take to my health care provider? 8. Can radiation exposure cause thyroid disease? Thyroid nodules? 9. What are the symptoms of thyroid disease (hyperthyroidism/hypothyroidism)? 10. Can radiation exposure cause parathyroid disease? What are the symptoms? 11. If my thyroid was filled with radioactive iodine from drinking a lot of contaminated milk, what happened to the radioactive iodine that my thyroid couldn't absorb? 12. Is radiation-induced thyroid disease different from thyroid disease in the general population? 13. Are there any support groups for those who suffer from thyroid disease? I have many questions on how to manage my disease. 14. What kinds of cancers can be caused by radiation exposure? 15. Is there a relationship between radiation exposure and leukemia? 16. Is there a relationship between radiation exposure and breast cancer? 17. Is there a relationship between radiation exposure and brain tumors or other neurological disorders? 18. Do many downwinders have brain tumors? 19. Is there a relationship between radiation exposure and birth defects? Are there potential genetic effects from this exposure? 20. Could radiation exposure cause miscarriages or infertility? 21. What kind of mutations might be caused by radiation exposure? 22. Is there a relationship between radiation exposure and the immune system? 23. I've heard that Eastern Washington has a high incidence of multiple sclerosis. Is there a relationship between radiation exposure and MS? 24. Is there a relationship between radiation exposure and chronic joint pain? 25. Could chronic fatigue syndrome be related to radiation exposure? 26. Could my allergies be related to radiation exposure? 27. Is there a relationship between exposure to radiation from Hanford and hair loss or loss of skin pigmentation? 28. I was sick as a child with headaches and nausea. Could there be a connection between these symptoms and radiation exposure? 29. Has anyone else had trouble being taken seriously by their health care provider when they bring up Hanford exposure? 30. What information do you have on alternative medicine?
Radiation ScienceFollowing is a list of questions about radiation science and the radionuclides released from Hanford. After each question are the names of publications on this Web site where you can find information that responds to the question. When you click on a publication name, the link will take you to the publication or, in some cases, to a section within the publication. Please keep in mind that definitive answers are not always possible given the uncertainties surrounding Hanford's releases of radioactive materials and radiation science. For further information, you may wish to read the entire publication. 1. What studies are being done regarding Hanford's releases of radioactive materials? 2. What is radioactive iodine-131 and why is it potentially harmful? 3. What radionuclides other than iodine-131 were released from Hanford? What health effects are connected with these radionuclides? 4. How do Hanford downwinders' health experiences compare with Japanese atomic bomb survivors, Utah downwinders, Marshall Islanders or Chernobyl victims? 5. What is the difference between low-dose and high-dose radiation? 6. Have there been any studies on the health effects of exposure to "low dose" radiation? 7. What do the different radiation measurement terms mean?
Resources and ReferralsFollowing is a list of questions about other sources of information that might be useful to Hanford downwinders. After each question are the names of publications on this Web site where you can find information that responds to the question. When you click on a publication name, the link will take you to the publication or, in some cases, to a section within the publication. 1. How can I get my medical records or the medical records of next-of-kin? 2. Are there other downwinders in my area? How can I get in touch with them? 3. I want to learn more about radiation and its effect on human health. What books or articles can you recommend? 4. Are there any lawsuits regarding exposure to Hanford's emissions? 5. One of my parents worked at Hanford and received care at Kadlec Hospital. How can I get his/her medical records? 6. I remember people in lab coats checking our school in the Tri-Cities for radiation. Are there records of this? 7. I was stationed at Camp Hanford. Is there information about the health status of this group of people? Did the Army keep records? Is anyone doing a study of exposure at Camp Hanford? 8. Why hasn't the government compensated those who were exposed and who now suffer health effects? 9. Is anyone documenting the experiences and health of the people who were exposed to Hanford's releases? How can I get access to this information?
10. Is there a plan for screening or monitoring those of us who are not ill now but may develop a health problem in the future? 11. Where can I get more information on the Hanford Thyroid Disease Study? 12. Is there information I can take to my health care provider? 13. I am very concerned about being exposed to radiation. How can I deal with all this uncertainty and stress? |
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