Radiation Exposure and Risk
Ionizing radiation damages living things and contaminates the environment, sometimes permanently. Studies have shown increases in cancer around nuclear facilities and uranium mines. Radiation mutates genes which can cause genetic damage across generations.
.....................................................................................................................................................................................................
Bureaucrats are struggling with an age-old question: What is the value of our lives? The government uses dollar amounts for lives when trying to weigh the costs and benefits of regulating such things as pollution, but it has proven politically and emotionally charged. EPA is examining how much people would pay to reduce individual risk of death and base a value on this. Associated Press.
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Nuclear Radiation and Studies Board (NRSB) has announced the provisional membership for a panel to examine the cancer risks around NRC licensed nuclear facilities. This panel will not only examine nuclear power reactors, but ALL NRC licensed facilities including waste sites, uranium mines, etc.
The public has until the end of January to comment on the panel members and professional composition. Beyond Nuclear will be submitting comments on individual conflicts of interest and overall balance and appropriateness of disciplines by January 31. Please contact Beyond Nuclear (cindy@beyondnuclear.org) if you are familiar with any of the provisional members. PLEASE COMMENT: We encourage you to submit your own comments as well.
For more background on this issue, see other entries on our website including our original announcement of the study, our concern about, and the recusal of, Richard Meserve from this panel selection.
The study will be conducted in two phases. Phase one, which started on September 1, 2010, will determine how best to conduct an epidemiological study on the cancer risks from Nuclear Regulator Commission (NRC) licensed facilities in the United States and will continue for 15 months.
January 21, 2011