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13 October 2008

Answer to Question #5086 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Nuclear or Radioactive Devices — Nuclear Weapons

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

Is it possible to get thyroid cancer from exposure to nuclear warheads on a ship working in the weapons magazine? I am 44 and was just diagnosed with thyroid cancer and handled these type of warheads.

It is very, very unlikely that your thyroid cancer is from the nuclear warheads on your ship. The most likely way to develop thyroid cancer is through exposure to radioactive iodine, which is not present in these warheads. The next most likely way to develop thyroid cancer is from radiation exposure, and these warheads do not emit enough radiation to cause problems.

I spent nearly four years on a submarine (USS Plunger, SSN 595) that carried nuclear weapons. We were required to check for leakage of radioactivity frequently and never found anything. We also performed frequent radiation surveys, and radiation levels were always low. Our torpedo men, who worked close to the weapons all the time, had much lower radiation doses than the "nukes" who operated the nuclear reactor plant, and they received less radiation dose than most medical x-ray technologists receive as well. So I feel very confident in saying that the nuclear warheads on your ship are not likely to be the cause of your cancer.

P. Andrew Karam, PhD, CHP

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