‘Reports on Cancer Deaths Baseless’

The New Indian Express: Kochi: Monday, 06 October 2014.

Cancer deaths among the employees of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is around 5.9 per cent as opposed to 70 per cent as claimed by some reports, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) former secretary R Parthasarathy has said.

The report quoting an RTI data, which stated that 70 per cent deaths in India’s atomic energy hubs are cancer-related, is based on miscalculations, he said. As per the report, 2,600 out of 3,887 deaths in 19 atomic energy centres between 1995 and 2014 were cancer-related. It also stated that 255 suicides had occurred in Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.

Parthasarathy stated that individual units of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) had sent the number of deaths due to various causes including suicides of DAE employees in service in response to the queries on June 22, 2010, and March 29, 2014. “Two DAE units provided detailed information including the number of employees undergoing treatment for different types of illnesses or ailments in their responses to the RTI query in 2014; this was counted as ‘deaths of employees’. As a result, they got such large number of deaths including cancer deaths among DAE employees,” he said.

RTI responses, especially from major units, showed  that the number of deaths of DAE employees in service over a period from 1995 to 2014 is around 2,564 and this includes 69 cases of suicides (as against numbers of 3,887 deaths and 255 suicides). Cancer caused 152 out of the above 2,564 deaths; the report claimed that 2,600 employees died of cancer. Although there may be some minor changes in the actual number, he stated that the difference will not be so humongous.

He also pointed out the size of the population group in which the deaths occurred. In 2013, the total staff strength of DAE was 61,724. For a specific period, this number may be different because some may have retired or new employees may have been enrolled. However, on an average, the number of DAE staff has been stable at over 60,000 for the past several years.

DAE records indicate that the number of suicides of DAE employees in service was 69 during 1995-2014 as opposed to the report’s claim of 255. Suicide rate in DAE works out to be about six per 100,000, which is much less than 11.4 in 100,000 noted by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), he added.

“Accurate national estimate does not exist; it may be 30, 40 or 100 annually per 100,000. Thus the reported high rate of suicides in atomic energy hubs does not have a firm base,” he said.

He also said that such reports had the potential to cause damage to the nation’s nuclear energy programme and that it may create unwanted fear among those who have recently joined and who plan to join the Units.