Project Grant NUE1EH001460

RADIATION PROTECTION GUIDANCE FROM NCRP RELATED TO PUBLIC HEALTH - THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON RADIATION PROTECTION AND MEASUREMENTS (NCRP) IS A NONPROFIT, CONGRESSIONALLY-CHARTERED ORGANIZATION WITH THE MISSION TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE, BASED ON THE BEST SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE, TO THE GOVERNMENT, INDUSTRY, AND THE PUBLIC ON MATTERS RELATED TO RADIATION HEALTH PROTECTION AND MEASUREMENTS. NCRP WILL DEVELOP CONSENSUS GUIDANCE ON RADIATION HEALTH PROTECTION INVOLVING IONIZING AND NON-IONIZING RADIATION. BASED ON THE MOST UP-TO-DATE RADIATION SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE AVAILABLE, REPORTS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS WILL BE PREPARED TO HELP FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL AGENCIES IN MAKING PUBLIC HEALTH DECISIONS AND IMPROVING PRACTICES. THE WORK FROM THE TARGETED PROJECT AREAS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF RADIATION TO BETTER PROTECT THE PUBLIC, WORKERS, AND EMERGENCY RESPONDERS FROM EXPOSURES TO IONIZING AND NON-IONIZING RADIATION FROM NATURAL, MEDICAL, AND OCCUPATIONAL SOURCES, AS WELL AS RADIOLOGICAL DISASTERS. THE NET RESULT WILL BE IMPROVING COMPREHENSIVE RADIATION PROTECTION GUIDANCE FOR THE UNITED STATES. SIX MAJOR PROJECT AREAS ARE PROPOSED: (1) IN THE AREA OF MONITORING AND CONTROLLING EXPOSURES TO WORKERS AND THE PUBLIC DURING RADIOLOGICAL EMERGENCIES, A COMMENTARY WILL BE PREPARED TO RESOLVE INCONSISTENCIES IN RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING SCREENING MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC FOR EXTERNAL CONTAMINATION AFTER A NUCLEAR/RADIOLOGICAL INCIDENT, A DOCUMENT WILL BE PREPARED TO ASSESS NATIONAL EFFORTS IN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RECOGNIZE GAPS IN NEED OF ATTENTION, AND A FOCUSED STATEMENT WILL BE DEVELOPED TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE TO INFORM ON A DOSIMETRY AND BIODOSIMETRY NETWORK TO IMPROVE TRIAGE AND MEDICAL MANAGEMENT IN THE EVENT OF A MASS-CASUALTY RADIATION INCIDENT.(2) A COMMENTARY WILL BE PREPARED WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION OF METHODOLOGIES DESCRIBED PREVIOUSLY IN AN NCRP REPORT TO IMPROVE USE OF RADIATION PROTECTION EQUIPMENT AND PRACTICES FOR RADIATION EMERGENCY WORKERS, DEFINED AS THOSE WHO ASSIST IN CRITICAL ROLES IN A RADIOLOGICAL/NUCLEAR EMERGENCY BUT ARE NOT TRAINED OR ROUTINELY MONITORED FOR RADIATION EXPOSURES. (3) A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT WILL BE WRITTEN TO PROVIDE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND RADIATION SAFETY GUIDELINES FOR THE MANAGEMENT AND DISPOSAL OF TECHNOLOGICALLY ENHANCED NATURALLY OCCURRING RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS (TENORM), IN PARTICULAR, ADDRESSING METHODS TO PROTECT HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT FROM UNNECESSARY RADIATION EXPOSURES.(4) A SERIES OF DOCUMENTS WILL BE PREPARED EVALUATING THE STATE-OF-THE-KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HEALTH EFFECTS OF MILLIMETER-WAVE 5TH GENERATION (5G) NETWORKS, RISK COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE PUBLIC ABOUT THESE POSSIBLE EFFECTS, INCLUDING PREPARING SCIENTIFICALLY-BASED INFORMATION RELATED TO WIDELY HELD MISCONCEPTIONS AND MISINFORMATION ABOUT THESE NETWORKS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH TO HELP ALLAY FEARS OF THE PUBLIC. (5) SEVERAL AVENUES WILL BE EMPLOYED TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATIONS TO THE PUBLIC OF RISKS FROM BOTH IONIZING AND NON-IONIZING RADIATION. THESE WILL INCLUDE IMPROVING PUBLIC ACCESS TO PUBLISHED NCRP INFORMATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS, DEVELOPING EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS FOR EDUCATORS, STUDENTS, AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO BE AVAILABLE ON THE NCRP WEBSITE, AND PROVIDING EXTENSIVE COLLATION OF RESOURCES ON RADIATION RISK COMMUNICATIONS.(6) EXTENDING NCRP?S LONG HISTORY OF PROVIDING RECOMMENDATIONS ON RADIATION PROTECTION IN MEDICINE, NEW DOCUMENTS WILL ADDRESS RISKS FROM RADIATION EXPOSURE OF IMPLANTED AND APPLIED DEVICES (E.G., PACEMAKERS AND INSULIN PUMPS) AND USE OF PROTECTIVE SHIELDING IN IMAGING PROCEDURES. FURTHER, PROTOCOLS WILL BE DEVELOPED FOR UPDATING PRIOR COLLECTION OF CRITICAL INFORMATION ON MEDICAL RADIATION EXPOSURES OF PATIENTS.