Antinuclcar campaigners plan to announce that a new study shows that infant death rates do

wnwind of eight American nuclear power plants dropped significant after they were shut down.

Some plan to use the findings to support calls for closing the nuclear reactors at Indian Point(A nuclear power station is U. S. A. ), the plant closest to New York City. But federal officials, some radiation experts and representatives of the nuclear plants and that minute, occasional releases from such plants were much lower than natural radiation levels,

The new statistical study, which is being published in Archives of Environmental Health, was conducted by a group of scientists who for many years have intended to show a link between mortality and illness and low levels of radiation from power plants, bomb tests and other sources.

The study said the infant death rate in communities for two years before the plant shutdowns averaged 8.44 deaths per l, 000 births and, when all the mortality data for two years after the plant shutdowns were combined, the infant mortality rate dropped to 7.01 per l, 000 births. The difference was statistically significant, the authors said, and the drop was greater than the general drop in infant death rates around the country in recent years.

Joseph Mangano, a public health statistician and the national coordinator for the group, said a statistical link does not prove a cause and effect, but points to the need for more work. He said," The list is literally endless. This doesn't mean we've proved anything beyond a shadow of a doubt, but what I will say is we really need to do more follow-up."

The new study was conducted by______.

A．the government

B．radiation experts

C．antinuclear campaigners

D．public health statisticians