Research on Health Effects of
Low-Level Ionizing Radiation Exposure
Opportunities for the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute
Committee on Research Directions in Human Biological Effects of
Low-Level Ionizing Radiation
Board on the Health of Select Populations
Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board
INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE AND
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance.
This study was supported by Grant No. HT9404-12-1-0028 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Uniformed Sciences University of the Health Sciences. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-30209-8
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-30209-9
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Copyright 2014 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
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Cover credit: Department of Defense photo by Staff Sgt. Jonathan Steffen, U.S. Air Force/Released Link to photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/39955793@N07/5568298525/in/photolist-9u3Z9Z-9ymHp9-9unnPG.
Suggested citation: IOM (Institute of Medicine) and NRC (National Research Council). 2014. Research on health effects of low-level ionizing radiation exposure: Opportunities for the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. C. D. Mote, Jr., are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
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COMMITTEE ON RESEARCH DIRECTIONS IN HUMAN
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF LOW-LEVEL IONIZING RADIATION
HEDVIG HRICAK (Chair), Chair, Department of Radiology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
DAVID J. BRENNER, Director, Center for Radiological Research, Columbia University Medical Center
LAWRENCE T. DAUER, Associate Attending Physicist, Department of Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
GEORGE X. DING, Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
FRANCESCA DOMINICI, Senior Associate Dean for Research, Professor of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health
HELEN A. GROGAN, President and Founder, Cascade Scientific, Inc.
DAVID G. HOEL, Distinguished University Professor, Medical University of South Carolina
EDWARD F. MAHER, Senior Health Physicist, Dade Moeller & Associates, Inc.
WILLIAM F. MORGAN, Director of Radiation Biology and Biophysics, Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
GEORGINE M. PION, Research Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Human Development, Peabody College of Vanderbilt University
DAVID RICHARDSON, Associate Professor of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina
RUTH C. WILKINS, Research Scientist, Division Chief, Radiobiology, Health Canada
Staff
DAVID A. BUTLER, Scholar; Director, Medical Follow-up Agency
OURANIA KOSTI, Senior Program Officer
CARY HAVER, Associate Program Officer
SULVIA DOJA, Senior Program Assistant
ANDREA COHEN, Financial Associate
FREDRICK ERDTMANN, Director, Board on the Health of Select Populations
KEVIN D. CROWLEY, Senior Director, Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board
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Reviewers
This report has been reviewed in draft form by persons chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purposes of this independent review are to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
A. Iulian Apostoaei, Oak Ridge Center for Risk Analysis
Mina J. Bissell, Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
James E. Cleaver, Departments of Dermatology and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco
Richard B. Freeman, Harvard University; Labor and Worklife Program, Harvard Law School; National Bureau of Economic Research
Joe W. Gray, Oregon Health & Science University
Kathryn D. Held, Harvard Medical School; Massachusetts General Hospital
David Pawel, Office of Radiation and Indoor Air, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Terry C. Pellmar, Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute
Jonathan M. Samet, USC Institute for Global Health; Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California
David Alan Schauer, U.S. Navy (Retired); SAIC and National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements
Richard J. Vetter, Retired; Section of Safety and Radiation Safety Officer, Mayo Foundation; Mayo Medical School
Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of the report was overseen by Chris G. Whipple, Principal, ENVIRON. Appointed by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of the report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of the report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.
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AAPM |
American Association of Physicists in Medicine |
AFRRI |
Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute |
ARS |
acute radiation syndrome |
ATSDR |
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry |
BARDA |
Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (HHS) |
BAT |
Biodosimetry Assessment Tool |
BEIR |
biological effects of ionizing radiation |
BNL |
Brookhaven National Laboratory |
CARR |
Center for Acute Radiation Research |
CAMI |
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute |
CBMN |
cytokinesis-blocked micronucleus assay |
CBRN |
Division of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear |
CBRNE |
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives |
CDER |
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research |
CDRH |
Center for Devices and Radiological Health |
CMCR |
Centers for Medical Countermeasures against Radiation |
CT |
computed tomography |
DARPA |
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DoD) |
DASA |
Defense Atomic Support Agency |
DCA |
dicentric chromosome assay |
DDREF |
dose and dose-rate effectiveness factor |
DHS |
U.S. Department of Homeland Security |
DNA |
deoxyribonucleic acid |
DoD |
U.S. Department of Defense |
DOE |
U.S. Department of Energy |
DoReMi |
Low Dose Research Towards Multidisciplinary Integration |
DTP |
Developmental Therapeutic Program |
DTRA |
Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DoD) |
DU |
depleted uranium |
EPA |
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
EPR |
electron paramagnetic resonance |
FAA |
Federal Aviation Administration |
FDA |
U.S. Food and Drug Administration |
FISH |
fluorescence in situ hybridization |
FSR&M |
facilities sustainment, restoration, and modernization |
HHS |
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services |
HJF |
Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine |
HPS |
Health Physics Society |
IAEA |
International Atomic Energy Agency |
ICRP |
International Commission on Radiological Protection |
IND |
improvised nuclear device |
IOM |
Institute of Medicine |
ISN |
Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation |
LBNL |
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
LET |
linear energy transfer |
LINAC |
linear accelerator |
LNT |
linear no-threshold |
LSS |
Life Span Study |
MCM |
medical countermeasure |
MEIR |
medical effects of ionizing radiation |
MELODI |
Multidisciplinary European Low Dose Initiative |
MRAT |
Medical Radiobiology Advisory Team |
NAS |
National Academy of Sciences |
NASA |
National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
NCES |
National Center of Education Statistics |
NCI |
National Cancer Institute |
NCRP |
National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements |
NIAID |
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIH) |
NIH |
National Institutes of Health (HHS) |
NIOSH |
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health |
NRC |
National Research Council (of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences) |
NRF |
National Response Framework |
NRIA |
Nuclear/Radiological Incident Annex |
NSBRI |
National Space Biomedical Research Institute |
NSF |
National Science Foundation |
NSRSS |
NASA Space Radiation Summer School |
O&M |
operations and maintenance |
OCET |
Office of Counterterrorism and Emerging Threats |
ORISE |
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORNL) |
ORNL |
Oak Ridge National Laboratory |
OSCC |
Oxford Survey of Childhood Cancer |
OSTP |
Office of Science and Technology Policy (Executive Office of the President) |
PCC |
premature chromosome condensation |
PI |
principal investigator |
PNNL |
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory |
RadCCORE |
Radiation Countermeasures Center of Research Excellence |
RBE |
relative biological effectiveness |
RDD |
radiological dispersal device (“dirty bomb”) |
RDT&E |
research development testing and evaluation |
REB |
Radiation Epidemiology Branch (NCI) |
RRP |
Radiation Research Program (NCI) |
RRS |
Radiation Research Society |
SED |
Survey of Earned Doctorates |
SES |
socioeconomic status |
STEM |
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics |
TRIGA |
training, research, isotopes, general atomics |
UNSCEAR |
United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation |
U.S. NRC |
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission |
USAF |
U.S. Air Force |
USTUR |
U.S. Transuranium and Uranium Registry |
USUHS |
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (DoD) |
VA |
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs |
WMD |
weapon of mass destruction |