This report is a review of the draft feasibility study that was issued at the request of Congress by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Over 500 atmospheric nuclear-weapons tests were conducted at various sites around the world during 1945-1980. As public awareness and concern mounted over the possible health hazards associated with exposure to the fallout from weapons testing, a feasibility study was initiated by CDC and NCI to assess the extent of the hazard. The CDC-NCI study claims that the fallout might have led to approximately 11,000 excess deaths, most caused by thyroid cancer linked to exposure to iodine-131. The committee noted that CDC and NCI used the best available data to estimate exposure and health hazards. The committee does not recommend an
expanded study of exposure to radionuclides other than 131I since radiation doses from those radionuclides were much lower than those from 131I. It also recommended that CDC urge Congress to prohibit the destruction of all remaining records relevant to fallout.
- EXPOSURE OF THE AMERICAN POPULATION TO RADIOACTIVE FALLOUT FROM NUCLEAR WEAPONS TESTS
- Copyright
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Contents
- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- METHODS USED TO ESTIMATE DOSES AND HEALTH EFFECTS
- 1 INTRODUCTION
- BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
- THE CONGRESSIONALLY REQUESTED FEASIBILITY STUDY
- THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL’S INVOLVEMENT
- 2 THE COMMITTEE’S REVIEW
- TECHNICAL APPROACH AND CONTENTS OF THE DRAFT REPORT
- ASSESSMENT OF THE DOSE RECONSTRUCTION
- Deposition Density of Nevada Test Site Fallout Radionuclides
- Iodine-131
- Other Radionuclides
- External Doses from Nevada Test Site Fallout
- Internal Doses from Nevada Test Site Fallout
- Deposition Density of Global Fallout Radionuclides
- External Doses from Global Fallout
- Internal Doses from Global Fallout
- DOCUMENT LOCATION AND RETRIEVAL
- ASSESSMENT OF THE ESTIMATES OF CANCER RISK
- THE VALUE OF FURTHER REFINEMENTS OF THE 131I NEVADA TEST SITE CALCULATIONS AND UNCERTAINTY ANALYSIS
- Dosimetric Refinements
- Epidemiologic Refinements
- COMMUNICATION WITH THE PUBLIC ABOUT EXPOSURE AND CANCER RISK
- Overview of the Proposed Communication Plan
- The 131I/Nevada Test Site Communication Plan
- Would Adapting the 131I/Nevada Test Site Communication Plan Work for the Feasibility Study?
- Communication Issues for Option 1
- COMMENTS ON THE OPTIONS FOR FUTURE WORK
- 3 COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
- Estimates of dose from Nevada Test Site and global fallout
- Document location and retrieval
- Estimates of cancer and non-cancer risks
- Communication with the public about exposure and cancer risk
- REFERENCES
- Appendix A SPECIFIC COMMENTS
- APPENDIX B COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES
- FIRST COMMITTEE MEETING
- SECOND COMMITTEE MEETING
- THIRD COMMITTEE MEETING
- FOURTH COMMITTEE MEETING
- GLOSSARY
- ABBREVIATIONS, ACRONYMS AND DEFINITIONS
- Committee Biographies
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