Does living in the Port Hope area with low-level radioactive waste pose a health risk?
(Back to top) Several studies, the most recent published by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission in 2002, have found no overall evidence of an increased cancer risk in Port Hope compared to other Ontario communities. Everyone is exposed to natural radiation from the air, ground and food we eat. Port Hope has a lower background radiation level than places like Banff, Alberta, or Denver, Colorado, where higher altitude results in increased cosmic radiation. The radiation exposure of a person engaged in normal, daily living activities in Port Hope is not measurably different than the exposure of a person living in most Southern Ontario communities.
