THE CANCER INITIATIVE

Missouri has no nuclear capacity at present, but by 1985 expects to have 2875 MW; in the meantime, those 2875 MW generated by burning (Missouri) coal are having many consequences, of which we abstract the following: between 115 and 228 deaths per year among the public due to sulfur dioxide emissions; between 5.5 and 10 deaths/year (excess over nuclear) due to industrial injuries; about 285 miners totally incapacitated by black lung disease at any given time, with about 20 new cases per year; $10 million/year in HEW payments to black lung victims; $49 million per year in damage due to acid rain on buildings and land.

These are people actually now sick or dying due to the lack of nuclear power in Missouri, and if the assorted People's Lobbies for "safe" power succeed with their brainwashing campaigns, it will stay that way.

To get a rough idea of how many people Mr. Nader's humanitarian consumer advocacy has failed to kill or cripple in your state, divide the numbers above by 2875 and multiply by the nuclear capacity of your state for the corresponding year.

For the states that will have a Cancer Initiative referendum this year, the annual number of people saved from death, mutilation, disease and other benefits of such initiatives, is found by multiplying the numbers above by 2.09 (California), 0.115 (Colorado) or 0.39 (Oregon); this is based on the expected nuclear capacity in 1977 (but not corrected for sulfur content of the used coal) in those states.