Nuclear Monitor #937
Jan van Evert, reporter WISE-Netherlands
A new study revealed that people living in counties near a nuclear power plant in the USA had higher cancer mortality rates. Over the eighteen year study period, the researchers estimate that approximately 115,000 cancer deaths nationwide were associated with living closer to nuclear power plants. Especially older people showed an increased risk of developing cancer.
It is the first nationwide study of the 21st century to examine the link between proximity to every nuclear power plant and cancer mortality across all U.S. counties. The study was performed by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and published in Nature Communications on February 23rd 2026.
The team noted that the findings align with results from a previous study they conducted in Massachusetts, which found higher cancer incidence among people living closer to nuclear facilities. They found that 20,600 of all deaths caused by cancer (3.3 % ) were related to living closer to nuclear power plants. The risk of developing cancer strongly decreased at a distance larger than thirty kilometres. The study used data from 1980 to 2018
Fig. 5: Geographic distribution of nuclear power plants in the United States and counties within 200 km of a plant operational for at least one year between 1980 and 2018.
Map illustrating the locations of all nuclear power plants (dark blue circles) and U.S. counties located within 200 km of any operational plant (light blue shaded areas) during the study period. County boundaries are outlined in black. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.
Full report: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-69285-4
