Cancer risk may increase with proximity to nuclear power plants
By Maya Brownstein December 18, 2025
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In Massachusetts, residential proximity to a nuclear power plant( NPP) was associated with significantly increased cancer incidence, with risk declining by distance, according to a new study led by Harvard
T. H. Chan School of Public Health.
The study was published Dec. 17 in Environmental Health. It was conducted by researchers in the Department of Environmental Health, ncluding corresponding author Yazan
Alwadi, PhD student, and senior author Petros Koutrakis, professor of environmental sciences.
Despite widespread— and potentially expanding— reliance on nuclear power in the U. S., epidemiologic research investigating the health impacts of NPPs remains limited. Meanwhile,