Elbmarsch
Encyclopedia
Elbmarsch is a Samtgemeinde ("collective municipality") in the district of Harburg
, in Lower Saxony
, Germany
. It is situated on the southern (left) bank of the river Elbe
, approx. 30 km southeast of Hamburg
, and 20 km north of Lüneburg
. Its seat is in the village Marschacht. The name refers to the marsh
es (German: Marsch) along the Elbe.
The Samtgemeinde Elbmarsch consists of the following municipalities:
.
Ionizing radiation
is another exposure conclusively linked with childhood leukemia
(Linet 2005). Survivors (within 1000 m) of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki developed leukemia 20 times more frequently than in unexposed populations (Brain 2003).
The Krümmel Nuclear Power Plant
began operations near Elbmarsch, Germany in 1983. Like Fallon, Nevada
, the nearby population is quite small, including approximately 9,000 children within 10 km of the plant. Over a one and a half year period, six cases of leukemia and one case of aplastic anemia
were identified among children in this area, a 41.5 increase over national incidence rates. Four more cases were diagnosed during a subsequent two-year period. Public health officials began to suspect that high levels of airborne tritium
“might be involved either directly or as an indicator for earlier releases of other short-lived radionuclide
s” (Grosche 1999).
The community surrounding the Savannah River
nuclear facility in the U.S. was chosen for comparison with the “cluster” noted around the Kruemmel site. The tritium burden around the Savannah River site is significantly higher than the measured burden in Germany; however, the incidence of leukemia in South Carolina was not increased. Differences in population density, proximity to the power plant, and route of tritium exposure (inhalational versus oral via drinking water) may account for the lack of correlation between the two sites, or there may be alternative explanations for the increased incidence of hematopoietic malignancy between 1989 and 1991 in Elbmarsch (Grosche 1999).
Some of these alternative hypotheses have included electromagnetic field
s, parental radiation
exposure prior to conception, other carcinogen
s, and benzene
exposure; however, none have been supported by the existing evidence. Intriguingly, a larger case-control study in Lower Saxony
found a correlation between the “untrained immune system” (as judged as contact with other children, vaccinations, etc.) and leukemia risk, suggested that an immature immune system that has not been challenged is at greater risk for developing malignancy, possibly secondary to an undefined environment insult (Grosche 1999).
Harburg
Harburg is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It takes its name from the town of Harburg upon Elbe, which used to be the capital of the district but is now part of Hamburg...
, in Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It is situated on the southern (left) bank of the river Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
, approx. 30 km southeast of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, and 20 km north of Lüneburg
Lüneburg
Lüneburg is a town in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is located about southeast of fellow Hanseatic city Hamburg. It is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, and one of Hamburg's inner suburbs...
. Its seat is in the village Marschacht. The name refers to the marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
es (German: Marsch) along the Elbe.
The Samtgemeinde Elbmarsch consists of the following municipalities:
- DrageDrage, Lower SaxonyDrage is a municipality in the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. With Marschacht and Tespe it completes the Samtgemeinde Elbmarsch. Drage is close beside Winsen , the center of the county Harburg....
- MarschachtMarschachtMarschacht is a municipality in the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It completes the Samtgemeinde Elbmarsch with Tespe and Drage. Marschacht is only a few kilometres far away from Geesthacht....
- TespeTespeTespe is a municipality in the district of Harburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It abuts on the county Lüneburg at the south and the west. Tespe is really close to Geesthacht and about 30 kilometres far from Hamburg....
Cancer cluster
Elbmarsch is the epicenter of a notable pediatric cancer clusterCancer cluster
Cancer cluster is a term used by epidemiologists, statisticians, and public health workers to define an occurrence of a greater-than-expected number of cancer cases within a group of people in a geographic area over a period of time....
.
Ionizing radiation
Ionizing radiation
Ionizing radiation is radiation composed of particles that individually have sufficient energy to remove an electron from an atom or molecule. This ionization produces free radicals, which are atoms or molecules containing unpaired electrons...
is another exposure conclusively linked with childhood leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
(Linet 2005). Survivors (within 1000 m) of Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
and Nagasaki developed leukemia 20 times more frequently than in unexposed populations (Brain 2003).
The Krümmel Nuclear Power Plant
Krümmel Nuclear Power Plant
Krümmel Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant in Geesthacht near Hamburg, Germany. It was taken into operation in 1983 and is owned 50% by Vattenfall via Vattenfall Europe Nuclear Energy GmbH and 50% by E.ON, and operated by the Swedish Vattenfall...
began operations near Elbmarsch, Germany in 1983. Like Fallon, Nevada
Fallon, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 7,536 people, 3,004 households, and 1,877 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,474.1 people per square mile . There were 3,336 housing units at an average density of 1,095.2 per square mile...
, the nearby population is quite small, including approximately 9,000 children within 10 km of the plant. Over a one and a half year period, six cases of leukemia and one case of aplastic anemia
Aplastic anemia
Aplastic anemia is a condition where bone marrow does not produce sufficient new cells to replenish blood cells. The condition, per its name, involves both aplasia and anemia...
were identified among children in this area, a 41.5 increase over national incidence rates. Four more cases were diagnosed during a subsequent two-year period. Public health officials began to suspect that high levels of airborne tritium
Tritium
Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. The nucleus of tritium contains one proton and two neutrons, whereas the nucleus of protium contains one proton and no neutrons...
“might be involved either directly or as an indicator for earlier releases of other short-lived radionuclide
Radionuclide
A radionuclide is an atom with an unstable nucleus, which is a nucleus characterized by excess energy available to be imparted either to a newly created radiation particle within the nucleus or to an atomic electron. The radionuclide, in this process, undergoes radioactive decay, and emits gamma...
s” (Grosche 1999).
The community surrounding the Savannah River
Savannah River
The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the northernmost part of the border...
nuclear facility in the U.S. was chosen for comparison with the “cluster” noted around the Kruemmel site. The tritium burden around the Savannah River site is significantly higher than the measured burden in Germany; however, the incidence of leukemia in South Carolina was not increased. Differences in population density, proximity to the power plant, and route of tritium exposure (inhalational versus oral via drinking water) may account for the lack of correlation between the two sites, or there may be alternative explanations for the increased incidence of hematopoietic malignancy between 1989 and 1991 in Elbmarsch (Grosche 1999).
Some of these alternative hypotheses have included electromagnetic field
Electromagnetic field
An electromagnetic field is a physical field produced by moving electrically charged objects. It affects the behavior of charged objects in the vicinity of the field. The electromagnetic field extends indefinitely throughout space and describes the electromagnetic interaction...
s, parental radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
exposure prior to conception, other carcinogen
Carcinogen
A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that is an agent directly involved in causing cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes...
s, and benzene
Benzene
Benzene is an organic chemical compound. It is composed of 6 carbon atoms in a ring, with 1 hydrogen atom attached to each carbon atom, with the molecular formula C6H6....
exposure; however, none have been supported by the existing evidence. Intriguingly, a larger case-control study in Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
found a correlation between the “untrained immune system” (as judged as contact with other children, vaccinations, etc.) and leukemia risk, suggested that an immature immune system that has not been challenged is at greater risk for developing malignancy, possibly secondary to an undefined environment insult (Grosche 1999).