Compared to cancer rates in England and other parts of Wales, young women under 50 years of age living in the vicinity of the Trawsfynydd nuclear power station in north Wales are diagnosed with breast cancer at a rate 15 times higher than the national averages.

For all other cancers, the rate is double was it is in other communities. The power plant is shut down but the effects from the radioactive waste are still being felt in cancer diagnosis.

The Trawsfynydd Lake is contaminated and some fish have been found to be radioactive. For the residents who have been diagnosed with cancer, many have eaten fish from the lake. The lake is also advertised as a recreational location for fisherman, swimmers and boaters. According to former environment minister Michael Meacher, "The true health effects of radioactive discharges must be resolved before any commitment to new nuclear power stations is made."

Decomissioned in the early 1990's it is estimated that it will take at least 130 years to safely clear and landscape the area. The Survey of Cancer in the Vicinity of Trawsfynydd Nuclear Power Station in North Wales, available as a PDF document, is an interesting read, as it documents some questionable circumstances regarding records that went missing and files that were erased. The area was also hard-hit by the Chernobyl disaster. The investigation into the cancer rates for the residents living in the Trawsfynydd nuclear power station has been going on for a number of years, with denials by some that there is a problem.