"Our study confirmed that in Germany a connection has been observed between the distance of a domicile to the nearest nuclear power plant and the risk of developing cancer, such as leukemia, before the fifth birthday," the daily Suddeutsche Zeitung quoted the report as saying.

Government radiation specialists said the findings cannot be explained since there is no radiation leaking from the 16 German plants, which are all scheduled for closure in about 2020.

The study was paid for by the German Federal Radiation Protection Agency, which is the government's main adviser on nuclear health, and conducted by the German Register of Child Cancer.

The study showed that 37 children near the plants had developed leukemia in the period between 1980 and 2003 while the statistical average for Germany predicted just 17 cases in that group.