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While this type of study cannot determine the causes of the cancer, excess cancers (increase in cancer above what’s expected in Ontario) are unlikely to be due to radiation. Radiation doses from NPPs to members of the public are extremely low – at least 100 to 1,000 times lower than natural background radiation and public dose limits. As such, doses are a minor risk factor compared to the high prevalence of major risk factors like tobacco, poor diet, obesity and physical inactivity, which account for about 60% of all cancer deaths in developed countries. These factors represent a public health concern throughout Ontario, including the communities located near NPPs. Other important Ontario studies found that once these main risk factors were taken into account, there was no evidence of a cancer risk due to environmental factors like radiation. Given the high frequency of these factors, the current scientific understanding of radiation risk, and the miniscule public doses, it is not realistic to attribute any excess cancers to the radiation doses from NPPs found in these communities.
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