ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the evidence for the contention that there is a significant link between the nuclear fuel reprocessing facility at Sellafield in West Cumbria and childhood cancer in the Northern Regions of England, UK, as a case-study of the impacts of nuclear activities on local populations. It seeks to extend the analyses offered as evidence to the Black Committee of Inquiry by Craft and Openshaw, by broadening the range of cancers considered and examining in more detail certain aspects of the geographical evidence. The chapter describes the data that are studied, reports the results of various spatial analyses designed to uncover and validate any geographical patterns that may be present, and offers general conclusions. External radiation is made up primarily of natural background radiation and exposure to medical X-rays, and a very small proportion comes from the radiation legacy from nuclear weapons fallout and the re-entry of nuclear powered satellites.
