radiation health science report

["Michael C. Baker" <mcbaker@lanl.gov>]

The following was sent out in this month's NEA newsletter.

Mike Baker

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RADIATION PROTECTION AND PUBLIC HEALTH

     Developments in Radiation Health Science and their Impact on
     Radiation Protection
     (The full report in PDF is available at
     http://www.nea.fr/html/rp/reports/devrad.html )
     This report includes a synthesis of the current scientific debate
     about the use of the linear, no-threshold (LNT) dose-effect
     hypothesis as a practical model for the regulation of radiation
     protection. It identifies key elements of science on which there
     is common agreement, areas of uncertainty or debate, and the
     potential practical implications of various possible developments
     in scientific knowledge. It reviews the present status of
     knowledge in the following fields of radiation health sciences
     which may have an implication for radiation protection:
     · dose-effect relationships;
     · causality;
     · genetic susceptibility;
     · combined effects.

     Certain aspects of these issues are treated herein, as well as
     their potential policy and application implications, which are
     currently being discussed in the applied radiation protection and
     scientific communities (UNSCEAR 93, UNSCEAR 94). The objective of
     this report is to provide decision makers and non-specialists
     with some insight into the critical points in these discussions.
     The report also seeks to provide an understanding of the
     scientific issues, and an appraisal of the possible developments
     in the practice and regulation of radiation protection in view of
     the scientific debate; it does not, however, engage in the debate
     itself.
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