By: Shelby Warner

Since the underground nuclear testing in Baxterville, Miss. in 1962, many residents have feared a connection between radiation left behind and the number of cancer related deaths within Lamar County.

Several charts and graphs were made to record the distribution of cancer related deaths between 1980-1991 within the county. Officials recorded both cancer and disease related deaths that could have possibly been a result from radiation exposure left over from the Project Dribble test site. While the site was classified as sealed during the explosion, it wasn’t until after the blast that the area became contaminated from drilling.

8.7 percent of cancer related deaths that occurred in Lamar Country over the course of 9 years were confirmed as a result of Project Dribble. 41.9 percent of total deaths that were recorded were non-cancer related but rather were caused by diseases of the circulatory system. While there were more disease related deaths than cancer related deaths within the county, it is suspected that radiation exposure plays a part in disease.

Other causes of death within the county included cancer of the bone and skin. Cancer of the lymphatic and digestive system followed closely behind.

It is unknown whether or not these deaths were related to the test site. While the site was sealed off before the blast, it did not become contaminated until after the nuclear testing was finished.

While the residents of Baxterville argued that cancer related deaths were higher than the average county in Mississippi, federal officials have assured that the radioactivity that remains lies deep within the salt structure that cannot transmit water, therefore protecting residents within Lamar County.