By Jacque Day
Paducah, Ky. – A newly released study focusing on workers at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant revealed a slightly higher death rate than the national average from certain cancers. The study sampled 6,759 people who worked at the plant between 1952 and 2003. Researchers found the overall mortality rate, including all causes of death, was actually lower than national average. But the plant workers exhibited a slightly higher-than-average number of deaths from leukemia and Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The study appeared in the July edition of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The research team is preparing the findings to present to the Paducah nuclear workers.