Uranium exchange-traded funds (ETFs) were on the rise Tuesday despite a new study that found cancer rates were high in areas where nuclear power plants operated. The study, which was adjusted for factors such as obesity, smoking, and others, determined that cancer showed up more in U.S. counties near nuclear reactors than those further away from them.
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This study was conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and it covered nuclear power plants across the U.S. The data from the study ranged from the years 2000 to 2018 and were published in Nature Communications on Monday. The study noted that cancer mortality rates increased closer to nuclear power plants, with older adults being the most affected.
The study highlighted that a potential 115,000 cancer deaths nationwide can be linked to nuclear power plants. This comes to roughly 6,400 cancer deaths per year. These study results back up previous studies that were conducted in Massachusetts. One potential flaw of the study is that it didn’t measure direct radiation, which means it can’t directly attribute the cancer deaths to nuclear power proximity.
Uranium ETF Movements Today
Here’s how uranium ETFs moved on Tuesday.
- Global X Uranium ETF (URA) was up 0.71% today.
- NorthShore Global Uranium Mining ETF (URNM) was up 1.05% this afternoon.
- Sprott Junior Uranium Miners ETF (URNJ) was up 1.72% as of this writing.
- VanEck Uranium + Nuclear Energy ETF (NLR) was up 1.17% on Tuesday.
Which Uranium ETF Is the Best?
Turning to the TipRanks ETF comparison tool, traders can see which of the uranium ETFs listed above is the best. A favorite among investors is Global X Uranium ETF. Traders like URA for its AUM of $7.09 billion, an expense ratio of 0.69%, a dividend yield of 3.9%, and a 12-month gain of 108.26%.


