“Do you believe the Department of Energy; our own government is telling the truth?” asked Duane Pohlman.
“Nobody believes that. If you do, you’re a fool,” said Guy Reynolds.”
PIKETON, Ohio (WKRC) – In the communities surrounding the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS), a decommissioned Cold War-era facility near Piketon that enriched uranium for nuclear reactors and atomic weapons, cancer has become a devastating reality for many families, leaving a trail of grief and loss.
By Duane Pohlman WKRC | November 4 local12.com
THE FAMILIES AND FACES OF FALLOUT:
Guy Reynolds survived melanoma and is keenly aware of the tragic cancer landscape in the area he calls home.
“Seems like anybody who dies, they die from cancer,” Reynolds said.
Heather Blanton, a 42-year-old mother from Piketon who’s battling stage four metastatic breast cancer, explained that there’s no hope for her recovery.
“It’s terminal,” Heather said.
Joanne Ross of Piketon lost her 13-year-old son Aaron to kidney cancer in 1994 and still mourns his loss every day.
“I’ll always be his mother,” Ross said.
Shawna Houston, who now lives in Hillsboro, watched her 15-year-old son Garrett suffer and die from acute myeloid leukemia on March 4, 2016, 11 months after he was first diagnosed.
“It’s something I don’t wish on any parent,” said Houston.
Brad Lykins, who lives in Piketon, lost his son Braden to leukemia on March 8, 2021, just two days after he was diagnosed.
“I just told God. If you’re going to take him, take him fast,” Lykins said.
Dennis Foreman of Piketon said that his mother succumbed to multiple myeloma. Mari-Ann Mackenzie Grubb of Piketon watched her father die from liver cancer.
“It’s traumatic,” Grubb said, explaining how she’s now being treated for PTSD.
Paula Spears of McDermott’s vividly remembers the last words of her mother before liver cancer claimed her life.
“I love you too, baby girl, “McDermott said.
Lola Hannah was only three and a half years old when colon cancer took her mother.
Deborah Copley of Piketon continues to grieve for her husband, who died from cancer a decade ago.
“It’s a horrible life,” Copley said.
CANCER CONNECTION IN RADIOACTIVE LANDSCAPE:
These people, and many more, are connected by cancer and where they live. They all grew up in the shadow of PORTS.
For more than four years, Local 12 has investigated radioactive contamination, cancer, and death in the communities that surround PORTS.
Complete list of stories of fallout investigations with links:
2020
- Was All-American Zach Farmer’s cancer death connected to PORTS?
- Kids dying and middle school closed
- Pike County tops state with ‘alarming’ cancer rates
2021
- Is radiation on our doorstep?
- Scientists concerned with radioactive fallout from America’s nuclear plants
- The cancer connection
- Radioactive rigs: millions of radioactive loads across the country
- Tri-State mother teams up with scientist to uncover the truth – Part 1
- Local mother monitors air, teams up with scientist to uncover truth – Part 2
- From Tech-99 to the pandemic pause, researcher connects radioactive contamination to PORTS
2022
- The Russian connection to radioactive contamination aired in Russian nuclear warheads bought, processed, and material shipped to Southern Ohio
- Local 12 Investigation tracks down source of Russian radioactive shipments to Ohio
- Rep. Ryan demands answers from U.S. Department of Energy following Local 12 Investigation
- Local dads who lost children to cancer react to Local 12 fallout investigation
- Senator Manchin joins Congressman Ryan in calling for answers
- Congressman Ryan demands answers in wake of Local 12 investigation
- Local 12 Investigation uncovers home riddled with radioactive contamination
- New study reveals ‘shocking’ number of deaths in southern Ohio county
2023
- The Downwinders: Living and dying in the fallout of Oppenheimer’s bomb
- New study reveals wider death zone around Cold War-era plant in Ohio
2024
- Testing reveals more homes with radioactive contamination
- New testing reveals radioactive elements in plants near Cold War facility
- Contaminated School for Sale
While the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), which oversees PORTS, insists there is no health threat posed by the plant, our on-going investigation has revealed radioactive contamination in the air and environment. The radiation has been picked up in buildings, too, including Zahn’s Corner Middle School, which includes a middle school four miles from PORTS and in a home in Lucasville, ten miles from the plant.
“SHOCKING” DEATH RATES:
Epidemiologist Joseph Mangano, who’s the executive director of the nonprofit organization Radiation and Public Health Project, uncovered what he described as “shocking” data in 2022. In his report, Mangano found that from 2017 to 2020, Pike County’s premature death rate for individuals 74 years and younger was 85% higher than the national average.
“Pike is almost double the death rate,” Mangano said.
In a follow-up study that aired in 2023, Mangano revealed that from 2017 to 2021, the death rate for 25-to-54-year-olds in Pike and six adjoining counties was 109.6% above the national average.
“They’re among the highest death rates of any county in the United States,” Mangano said.
CANCER, DEATH, AND LACK OF TRUST:
Cancer and death have become a terrifying part of many families who live around PORTS.
“Every person I know in this area has dealt with cancer in some way or another,” Houston said.
For those facing cancer without hope, the reality of their landscape is filled with terror.
“I live in fear every day,” Blanton said.
Many people in the shadow of PORTS blame the plant for the cancer and death that have taken their toll on their lives, even though the government insists there’s no connection to the plant.
“Do you believe the Department of Energy; our own government is telling the truth?” asked Duane Pohlman.
“Nobody believes that. If you do, you’re a fool,” said Guy Reynolds.