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NCRP continued in 2007 to be scientifically productive and to maintain a strong financial position. Highlights of the year included the completion of two reports, a commentary, and the proceedings of the 2006 NCRP Annual Meeting. Significant progress was also made toward completion of several other major NCRP reports to be published in the coming year. NCRP publications completed in 2007 included the following. |
Report No. 157, Radiation Protection in Educational Institutions, prepared by Scientific Com- mittee 46-17 chaired by Susan M. Langhorst, provides radiation protection guidance for educational institutions that use radioactive materials or radiation-producing equipment for training and research, or for other purposes such as radiation applications in a student health clinic. Guidance is provided both for ionizing radiation and for nonionizing radiation sources such a lasers and microwave-producing equipment.
Report No. 158, Uncertainties in the Measurement and Dosimetry of External Radiation, prepared by Scientific Committee 6-1 chaired by Harold L. Beck, describes in depth the uncertainties associated with data obtained from personal dosimeters and area monitors for gamma, beta, neutron, charged- particle, and mixed radiation fields. The report describes concepts and factors that contribute to uncertainty in converting radiation measurements to estimates of organ doses, including statistical methods for combining the uncertainties associated with measurements and models to calculate the total uncertainty in organ dose estimates.
Commentary No. 20, Radiation Protection and Measurement Issues Related to Cargo Scanning with Accelerator-Produced High-Energy X Rays, prepared by Scientific Committee 6-5 chaired by Leslie A. Braby, provides a comprehensive analysis of the health protection issues and radiation measurement technology to be utilized with the Cargo Advanced Automated Radiography System (CAARS). This system is being designed and developed as part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office program to enhance security surveillance at U.S. border crossings. CAARS facilities will be installed at many land and sea ports-of-entry into the United States for detection in cargo containers of special nuclear materials (SNM) and other high atomic number elements that could be used as shielding for SNM and radioactive materials that might be used in acts of nuclear or radiological terrorism.
Another 2007 publication was the proceedings of the 42nd NCRP Annual Meeting held on April 3 and 4, 2006 on the topic Chernobyl at Twenty. The proceedings, along with the 30th Annual Lauriston S. Taylor Lecture by Robert L. Brent on Fifty Years of Scientific Investigation: The Importance of Scholarship and the Influence of Politics and Controversy, were published in the November 2007 issue of Health Physics (Vol. 93, No. 5). NCRP is appreciative of the efforts of the Program Committee, led by myself with the helpful assistant of the vice chairs Mikhail Balonov, John D. Boice, Jr., and Elaine Ron, for organizing a timely and well attended meeting on an important topic. The meeting featured a comprehensive epidemiological analysis of health effects among liquidators, cleanup workers, and members of the public exposed to radiation released from the Chernobyl nuclear power reactor accident.
The year 2008 promises to be productive, with several NCRP reports nearing completion. Reports expected to be issued in 2008 are: (1) Risk to the Thyroid from Ionizing Radiation, prepared by Scientific Committee 1-8 under the chairmanship of Henry D. Royal; (2) Management of Persons Contaminated with Radionuclides, prepared by Scientific Committee 4-1 under the chairmanship of William J. Bair; and (3) Radiation Exposure of the U.S. Population, prepared by Scientific Commit-tee 6-2 under the chairmanship of Kenneth R. Kase. Two NCRP President’s Reports on Skin Doses from Dermal Contamination and Evaluation of Inhalation Doses in Scenarios Involving Resuspension by Nuclear Detonations at the Nevada Test Site will be published in 2008.
The proceedings of the 43rd NCRP Annual Meeting held on April 16–17, 2007 on the topic Advances in Radiation Protection in Medicine will be published in Health Physics in 2008. In this meeting prominent physicians, medical physicists, and experts in radiation health effects addressed key questions about how to maximize medical benefits in patients while minimizing their risks from exposure to ionizing radiation. Topics discussed at the meeting included patient doses and associated health risks in diagnostic radiology, nuclear medicine, and interventional radiation procedures.
The 2008 NCRP Annual Meeting will be held on April 14–15 on the topic Low Dose and Low Dose-Rate Radiation Effects and Models at the North Bethesda Marriott Hotel. The focus of the 2008 meeting, planned by a Program Committee chaired by Antone L. Brooks, will be on the latest scientific findings of low-dose radiation effects on experimental biological systems. Basic biological data, combined with modeling and the results of human epidemiological studies, will be presented, and a discussion will be held of how the results of such studies can be used in establishing future regulatory policies on radiation exposure of workers and the public. A full program summary and information on registration for the meeting can be accessed on the NCRP website at http://NCRPonline.org.
NCRP continued its role during 2007 in providing technical and administrative support to the Veterans’ Advisory Board on Dose Reconstruction (VBDR), which was established in 2005 as a requirement of Public Law 108-183 enacted on December 16, 2003. The Board provides oversight of the radiation dose reconstruction and claims adjudication programs for veterans who occupied Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan following detonation of atomic bombs in 1945, who were prisoners of war in those locations at the time of the atomic bombs, or who participated in atmospheric nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific and Nevada Test Site until 1962. These veterans are eligible for compensation and medical benefits from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) if they contract diseases that may be associated with radiation exposure. When required, the reconstruction of radiation doses received by the veterans is performed by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) under its Nuclear Test Personnel Review program.
The 17-member VBDR is chaired by Vice Admiral (ret.) James A. Zimble, who served as the 30th Surgeon General of the U.S. Navy. Members of the Board represent a broad range of expertise in areas relevant to the mission of VBDR, and are listed on the VBDR website http://VBDR.org. Since establishment of VBDR in 2005, NCRP has organized six Board meetings that were open to the public under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. In 2007 meetings of VBDR were held in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 7–8 and in Chicago, Illinois on September 19–20. The work of the Board is primarily centered on the activities of five subcommittees that met several times in 2007. These subcommittees provide in-depth reviews of radiation dose reconstruction procedures used by DTRA and its contractor organizations; the claims adjudication procedures used by VA; quality management and the integration of VA and DTRA activities; communication and outreach efforts involving veterans, DTRA and VA; and alternative methods for expedited dose assessment and claims processing.
During 2007 VBDR continued the development and submission of recommendations to VA and DTRA on potential improvements in the dose reconstruction and claims adjudication procedures. A total of 9 and 10 specific recommendations were made to DTRA and VA, respectively, on topics such as the development of standard operating procedures, quality assurance plans, and decision summary sheets; technical bases and criteria for expedited case processing; methods for handling claims on nonradiogenic diseases; centralizing the review and adjudication of veterans’ claims at one regional VA office; and improved communication efforts with veterans. The text of these recommendations, as well as other information on VBDR activities and meetings, can be viewed on the VBDR website.
In addition to direct administrative support of VBDR meetings and related activities, NCRP has continued the development of scientific reports on topics related to uncertainties in external and internal radiation measurements and dosimetry, principles and practices of dose reconstruction, and specific issues related to the evaluation of dermal contamination and inhalation doses. NCRP staff are also providing independent evaluations of the accuracy of dose reconstructions performed by DTRA contractors.
NCRP initiated electronic publishing and launched its publications website, http://NCRPpublications.org, in 2005. The website includes keyword search capability, and a user-friendly shopping cart permits selection of either hardcopy or electronic PDF versions of NCRP publications. The website has been an important communication and distribution tool since its launch, with a total of 219,825 visits and 6.35M “hits” through the end of 2007. A detailed listing of the distribution of NCRP’s publications through December 31, 2007 is presented in Appendix 2.
In 2007 NCRP entered into contract agreements with data aggregators and eBook providers as avenues for increasing the awareness and interest worldwide in NCRP publications and their content related to radiation health protection and measurements. On January 10, NCRP announced a partnership with the Knovel Corporation, a New York-based data aggregator that provides powerful methods of finding and applying critical information in many areas of science and engineering. Knovel’s analytical tools enable users to perform rapid data extraction, mathematical calculations, tabular data analysis and equation solving, and these capabilities have now been extended to include information contained in NCRP’s publications on radiation protection and measurements. On July 10, NCRP announced a contract agreement with NetLibrary, a Dublin, Ohio-based company, to provide worldwide access to NCRP electronic publications. NetLibrary is a leading electronic content provider to the institutional library market, and currently serves users in 15,000 libraries worldwide.
In 2007 the financial position of NCRP remained strong, with renewals of ongoing grants and contracts and additional funding being obtained for the preparation of new scientific reports, for example, on topics related to homeland security and radiation dosimetry. For the fifth consecutive year, NCRP’s operating income exceeded its expenses, and the net assets of NCRP increased by $307,544 in 2007. This brings the increase in assets to $1.11M since 2002, to a total of $1.885M, representing a continuing improvement in the financial stability of NCRP. A detailed description of NCRP’s finances in 2007 is presented in Appendix 1.
NCRP took the first significant steps in 2007 toward winning long-term contracts from several federal agencies with a strong interest in the guidance provided by NCRP reports related to radiation protection and measurements. Five-year contract proposals have been submitted and NCRP is responding to requests for additional discussion of the content and importance of the proposed new reports. The goal of this strategic initiative is to obtain long-term support for the work of NCRP that will sustain its strong financial position for many years into the future.
As I approach the end of my initial six-year term as President of NCRP, I am pleased by the progress made during this period in promoting the growth and stability of NCRP’s finances and operations. I look forward with enthusiasm to continuing to work with members of the Council, NCRP’s scientific committees, staff, and collaborators in meeting the challenges that face NCRP in 2008 and beyond.
Thomas S. Tenforde
President
2008-2010 Strategic Program Plan >
NCRP Goals & Challenges for 2008 >
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NCRP has received funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov) to prepare a report on "Population Monitoring and Decontamination Following a Nuclear/Radiological Incident" |
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