View this fact sheet as a printer-friendly PDF

June 2009

Key Facts

• Several studies by the Radiation and Public Health Project (RPHP) claim that levels of radioactive strontium-90 (Sr-90) are rising in the environment and have caused an increase in cancers, especially in children. In one study, they claimed that levels of Sr-90 in baby teeth are higher in areas near nuclear power plants than in other areas. This is sometimes referred to as “The Tooth Fairy Project.” However, peer-reviewed scientific studies do not substantiate these claims.
• About 99 percent of the strontium-90 in the environment was produced in atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons during the Cold War. Doses remaining in the environment are about 0.03 percent of the average American’s dose from background radiation, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.¹ 
• Nuclear power plant emissions of strontium-90 are minuscule. “At an individual nuclear power plant, the amount of Sr-90 is so low that it is usually at or below the minimum detectable activity of sensitive detection equipment,” the NRC said. “It is reasonable to conclude that the vast majority of Sr-90 that can be detected in, for example, baby teeth would be attributable to fallout from nuclear weapons testing."²
• None of the “tooth fairy project” claims has been substantiated by state and/or federal authorities. But during that time, the claims have been refuted or questioned by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Cancer Institute, the NRC, the American Cancer Society, and state and local health officials.

1. "Backgrounder on Radiation Protection and the 'Tooth Fairy' Issue," U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
2. Ibid.

Next Page: "Specious Claims About Strontium-90" >>

Pages 1 2 3 4