The major accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant has resulted in an increased risk of thyroid cancer in exposed individuals. A new report attempts to quantify the risk of thyroid cancer associated with living near nuclear facilities; however, the findings are inconclusive due to flaws in the study design.
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Acknowledgements
The authors wish to acknowledge J. Loukissas of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA, who provided valuable insights during the writing of this article.
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A.B.S. has served as an advisor and expert witness for a law firm dealing with radiation releases from the Hanford Nuclear Facility. K.M. declares no competing interests.
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Mabuchi, K., Schneider, A. Do nuclear power plants increase the risk of thyroid cancer?. Nat Rev Endocrinol 10, 385–387 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2014.59
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2014.59