Why does the synthesis report not discuss the Uranium Medical Research Centre’s Port Hope study?
A29. CNSC staff excluded the data from the Uranium Medical Research Centre (UMRC) Port Hope study in the synthesis report because the UMRC’s data were unreliable. Dr. Asaf Durakovic, the UMRC study’s author, stated in the Summary of the Royal Society Reports on the Health Hazards of Depleted Uranium, that there are uncertainties about the reliability of measurements of depleted uranium in urine. These uncertainties were due to difficulties obtaining reliable isotope ratios from urine samples that contained small amounts of uranium. CNSC staff, Health Canada and other experts reviewed the UMRC study and concluded that all uranium levels measured in the urine of a few Port Hope residents were well below toxicological and radiological concern and were within the background ranges reported in many countries. The findings do not represent a health concern to the people of Port Hope.
