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Pages 1-14

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From page 1...
... government decisions related to the future of nuclear power and clean energy policies, continuing efforts to assess the full range of radiogenic health outcomes of legacy exposures to fallout from nuclear weapons production, testing, and waste sites, management of nuclear waste, and plans for responding to radiological threats. These concerns also raise questions as to whether the public and workers are adequately protected from current environmental and occupational radiation exposures and from potential new sources of exposure such as rare earth element and lithium mining to support green energy and long-term energy policies in the United States.
From page 2...
... Advances in epidemiological study design and analysis, radiation biology research, and biotechnology and research infrastructure make it possible to obtain more direct information on health effects that result from exposures to low-dose and low-dose-rate radiation. The increasing low-dose radiation exposures and the improved capabilities to quantify health risks and study the underlying mechanisms make it both urgent and feasible to improve understanding of the adverse human health effects from exposures to doses and dose rates of relevance to the U.S.
From page 3...
... . Finding 1: A coordinated multidisciplinary low-dose radiation research program in the United States can improve understanding of adverse human health effects from exposures to radiation at doses and dose rates of relevance to the U.S.
From page 4...
... When adjustments in radiation protec tion standards and guidance are proposed based on new information, agencies can estimate the economic impacts of the changes and perform benefit-cost and cost-effectiveness analyses of alternative measures. Costs for complying with radiation protection standards and guidelines, administering radiation compensation programs, or for using technologies that utilize radiation in medical and other applications are balanced with the health, societal, and other benefits based on current scientific understanding of low-dose radiation health effects.
From page 5...
... popula tion including the full range of potential adverse health effects, risks associated with doses around 10 milligray, and the potential impacts of genetic, lifestyle, environmental, and other factors that may also affect radiation-related risk estimates. Epidemiological studies designed to overcome these limitations can better elucidate adverse health effects of radiation exposure at low doses and low dose rates relevant to the U.S.
From page 6...
... The proposed research will address cancer and non-cancer health outcomes including cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, immune dysfunction, cataracts, and heritable genetic effects for both internal and external exposures. The committee strongly emphasizes the need for integration across the research lines and anticipates that the most impactful research projects will include work in more than one research line and will be carried out by multidisciplinary teams.
From page 7...
... Although the committee recognizes that the exact form of the program will be determined by the funding agency after consultation with stakeholders, it provided a prototypical program that comprises interacting hubs focusing on basic and translational biology, analytical and computational technologies, and epidemiology, intended to justify the $100 million annual funding level. The committee also notes that appropriations at the level of $5 million per year are not adequate to even initiate a meaningful low-dose radiation research program -- as seen in 2021 and 2022 when funds for the program were at that level and the program was not initiated.
From page 8...
... B4 Identify factors that modify or confound estimation of risks for radiation-induced adverse health outcomes. Research Infrastructure I1 Tools for sensitive detection and precise characterization of aberrant cell and tissue states.
From page 9...
... Establish radiation dose-response curves for molecular and cellular E1–E3; I1–I4 endpoints and for associated early- and late-stage diseases at doses below 10 mGy and dose rates below 5 mGy/h. Assess the impact of genetic makeup, epigenomic status, DNA repair E1–E3; I1–I4 efficacy, comorbidities, exposure history to radiation and other agents, lifestyle factors, and immune status on low-dose and low-dose-rate radiation-induced adverse health effects and associated cellular and molecular response endpoints.
From page 10...
... managed the low-dose radiation program. The program took advantage of new technologies available at the time as well as advances in molecular and cell biology made by the Human Genome Project and expanded knowledge of molecular and cellular responses to radiation and helped better understand biological responses at low doses of radiation.
From page 11...
... Impacted communities in the context of this report include Indigenous communities; atomic veterans; nuclear workers; uranium miners, millers, transporters, and their families; and individuals or communities impacted by radioactive contamination or nuclear fallout due to nuclear weapons testing, offsite radiation releases from nuclear weapons production sites, and nuclear waste cleanup activities. Much of the distrust of these impacted communities toward DOE's management of the low-dose radiation program originates from DOE's and its predecessor organization's secrecy during the nuclear weapons program activities and cleanup operations.
From page 12...
... In addition, the research agenda proposed by the committee extends beyond any single agency's capabilities, and a partnership with an agency whose mission is to enhance health would be warranted. Among various federal agencies with missions to enhance or protect health, NIH is widely trusted by the scientific community and members of the public and does not have any regulatory responsibilities related to setting or implementing radiation protection standards; therefore, it has no perceived conflict of interest with leading low-dose radiation research through a cross-institutional effort.
From page 13...
... , and NIH, through a cross-institutional effort, leading the epidemiological and biological research, but with mechanisms in place to allow for integration of the different research lines. The committee was not tasked with assessing the suitability of DOE to manage the low-dose radiation program or with recommending an alternative management structure.


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