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From page 22... ... . 1.2 LOW-DOSE RADIATION RESEARCH IN THE UNITED STATES Research focused on the mechanisms and outcomes from exposures to low-dose radiation can answer critical questions relevant to radiation protection of the U.S. Read the entire page →
From page 23... ... 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. For example, research supported by the Low-Dose Radiation Research Program (1) Read the entire page →
From page 24... ... BER's current mission is to "support scientific research and facilities to achieve a predictive understanding of complex biological, Earth, and environmental systems with the aim of advancing the nation's energy and infrastructure security."13 In support of its mission, BER has remained at the forefront of genome biology research and has also produced computational infrastructure and modeling capabilities that are run on DOE's fastest supercomputers, among the most capable in the world.14 However, as BER shifted its focus to bioenergy and environmental research, its interest and expertise in radiation research have markedly diminished. Despite suggestions from the Low Dose Radiation Expert Subcommittee of the Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee15 for the scope of a small program on radiation health 13 Seehttps://www.energy.gov/science/ber/biological-and-environmental-research. Read the entire page →
From page 25... ... The other five agencies that funded low-dose radiation research during that period were the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Defense, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Environmental Protection Agency. Read the entire page →
From page 26... ... A much larger number of federal agencies, although they do not conduct or fund low-dose radiation research, use the research findings to meet their statutory responsibilities to set up radiation protection standards and guidelines, assist in the response to nuclear or radiological incidents, administer radiation compensation programs, or carry out other activities relevant to their missions that require knowledge of low-dose radiation risks (see Figure 1.4 and Chapter 3) Read the entire page →
From page 27... ... FIGURE 1.4 Federal agencies that support low-dose radiation health effects research and use the research findings (left panel) and agencies that use the findings of low-dose radiation research to accomplish their missions (right panel) Read the entire page →
From page 28... ... For example, in addition to developing a long-term strategic and prioritized research agenda for low-dose and low-dose-rate radiation research within DOE, the National Academies was also tasked by DOE with defining the health and safety issues that need to be guided by an improved understanding of low-dose and low-dose-rate radiation health effects and with identifying the essential elements of a low-dose radiation program as well as with addressing coordination with other entities. The complete Statement of Task is shown in Box S.1. Read the entire page →
From page 29... ... and those impacted by nuclear waste cleanup activities. Appendix C provides the list of presentations the committee received during its information-gathering meetings, and these presentations and meeting recordings are posted on the National Academies website for open access.18 In addition to these information-gathering meetings, several committee members attended scientific meetings organized by other entities that addressed low-dose radiation issues including the Radiation Research Society's annual meeting and webinars organized by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, NASA's Human Research Program Space Radiation Quality Workshop, the International Society of Radiation Epidemiology and Dosimetry, the Electric Power Research Institute, and the National Academies. Read the entire page →
From page 30... ... provides background information on low dose radiation exposures to the U.S. population, the history of the low-dose radiation research program, and the study request. Read the entire page →
From page 31... ... population. These are natural radiation sources, medical applications, occupational exposures, nuclear power routine operations and accidents, nuclear or radiological incidents, exposures from the nuclear weapons program, and nuclear waste. Read the entire page →
From page 32... ... Population, Communities, Patients, or Workers, Following Different Exposure Sources Approximate Approximate Exposure Source Size of Exposed Annual Effective (exposed population) Population Dose Today Route of Exposurea Natural Sources (general U.S. Read the entire page →
From page 33... ... The committee does not attempt to provide a complete review of the issues involved with these sources and exposures, but instead it uses some key references to the existing literature to indicate the current state of knowledge. Typical Radioisotopes of Duration of Exposurea Radiation Protection and/or Policy Types of Exposure (acute (not exhaustive Implications of New Low-Dose Radiationa or protracted) Read the entire page →
From page 34... ... Noncardiac 4 millionc 0.13 mSvc External interventional fluoroscopy Nuclear medicine 13.5 millionc 0.32 mSvc Internal (injection, inhalation, ingestion, absorption) Occupational Exposures Medical personnel, 3.86 milliond 0.6–3.1 mSvd External, internal commercial nuclear (inhalation, ingestion, and workers, DOE absorption) Read the entire page →
From page 35... ... Radiation Information X-ray Acute -- Benefit-risk balance for a X-ray Acute -- procedure; need for regulation of patient doses or tracking of X-ray Acute -- exposures; communications X-ray Acute -- Alpha, beta, Acute Technetium-99; gamma iodine-123, -125, -129, and -131; xenon-133; iridium-192; actinium-225; astatine-211; fluorine-18; gallium-67; yttrium-90; radium-223, -224, and -225; ruthenium-106; lutetium-177 X-ray; alpha, Protracted Potassium-40; Revision of exposure limits for beta, neutron, uranium-238, radiation workers; informing and gamma -235, and -234; dose calculators for aircrews; and the decay setting exposure limits for aircrew; products of radiation compensation policies; uranium, such communications as thorium-232, -230, and -228; radium-224 and -226; and radon-220 and -222 Galactic cosmic; Acute or -- solar particle protracted events continued Read the entire page →
From page 36... ... 36 REVITALIZE LOW-DOSE RADIATION RESEARCH IN THE UNITED STATES TABLE 2.1 Continued Approximate Approximate Exposure Source Size of Exposed Annual Effective (exposed population) Population Dose Today Route of Exposurea Nuclear Power Under 1 million within 5 <<0.01 mSv Internal (inhalation, Routine Operations miles; more than ingestion) Read the entire page →
From page 37... ... LOW-DOSE RADIATION EXPOSURES AND HEALTH EFFECTS 37 Typical Radioisotopes of Duration of Exposurea Radiation Protection and/or Policy Types of Exposure (acute (not exhaustive Implications of New Low-Dose Radiationa or protracted) list) Read the entire page →
From page 38... ... ) is due to external exposure from terrestrial gamma and cosmic radiation and approximately half is due to internal exposure by inhalation of radon progeny and ingestion of radionuclides.1 Radiation exposure from natural sources varies globally and within a country depending on the geology and altitude where people live. Read the entire page →
From page 39... ... Overall, these studies have not found any associations between background radiation and cancer risk or other health problems arising from these high background radiation levels (Dobrzy nski ´ et al., 2015; Nair et al., 2009; Tao et al., 2012) although one study found that a higher level of background radiation was associated with a higher Read the entire page →
From page 40... ... (For a summary of the discussions of the workshop, see Mazzei-Abba et al., 2020.) Residential Radon Initial information regarding cancer risks from radon came from observations following occupational exposures of underground miners in the 1950s and 1960s (Holaday and Doyle, 1964) Read the entire page →
From page 41... ... Rare Earth Element and Lithium Mining New natural radiation exposure sources are becoming of concern for populations in the United States, notably the possible pollutants or 4 See https://cfpub.epa.gov/roe/indicator.cfm? Read the entire page →
From page 42... ... . These mining activities also raise concerns related to contamination of groundwater and drinking water with radionuclides, during both normal operations and accidents (Cone, 1997; Penn and Lipton, 2021) Read the entire page →
From page 43... ... population to radiation from medical diagnostic procedures increased sevenfold, primarily due to increased use of CT and nuclear medicine (NCRP, 2009a) , making it the biggest human-made source for radiation exposure to the U.S. Read the entire page →
From page 44... ... . Globally, it was estimated that 1 million patients per year are exposed to cumulative effective doses of more than 100 mSv due to medical diagnostic procedures (Brambilla et al., 2020) Read the entire page →
From page 45... ... . A recent review noted that "the recurrent application of medical imaging procedures involving ionizing radiation are of concern, from the viewpoint of radiological protection" (Rühm et al., 2022) Read the entire page →
From page 46... ... Currently there is a general resistance among medical professional organizations in the United States to track radiation exposures from medical diagnostic procedures for the purposes of patient dose and risk assessments (AAPM, 2021) Read the entire page →
From page 47... ... These studies are important because the doses received have been accumulated as many low doses of radiation over protracted periods, often many years (Rühm et al., 2022) , and therefore are more relevant to public exposures compared to, for example, the higher and acute doses received by the Japanese atomic bombing survivors. Read the entire page →
From page 48... ... radiology Breast 66,915 1,922 37 0.07 −0.005 Preston et al., technologists cancer mGy to 2016 0.19 U.S. nuclear Cancer 119,195 10,877 20 0.01 −0.02 Schubauerworkers mortality mSv to Berigan et al., 0.05 2015 UK national Cancer 167,003 13,985 25 0.012 0.005 Haylock et al., registry of incidence mSv to 2018 radiation 0.02 workers French Cancer 59,004 2,536 26 0.04 −0.04 Fournier et al., nuclear mortality mSv to 2016 workers 0.13 INWORKS Cancer 308,297 17,957 21 0.05 0.018 Richardson et mortality mGy to al., 2015 0.079 Million Cancer 135,193 8,445 52.6 0.01 –0.03 Boice et al., 2021 Person Study mortality mGy to (analysis 0.05 restricted to subpopulation of nuclear power plant workers) Read the entire page →
From page 49... ... Although increased risk of malignant melanoma, brain cancer, and leukemia has been reported in some studies (Hammer et al., 2009; Sigurdson and Ron, 2004) and female flight attendants were more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer (Lynge, 1996; Pukkala et al., 1995) Read the entire page →

From page 22...

... . 1.2 LOW-DOSE RADIATION RESEARCH IN THE UNITED STATES Research focused on the mechanisms and outcomes from exposures to low-dose radiation can answer critical questions relevant to radiation protection of the U.S.