Society News Archive

7 September 2012
New NCRP Report No. 171, Uncertainties in the Estimation of Radiation Risks and Probability of Disease Causation

The National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) has published Report No. 171, Uncertainties in the Estimation of Radiation Risks and Probability of Disease Causation. This new report considers the types and magnitude of the several uncertainties that are a component of the risk assessment process for cancer, heritable, and noncancer effects following radiation exposure. These uncertainties can result from the nature of the input data as well as from the specific analysis and models used for developing the risk estimates.

The issue of uncertainty in estimation of radiation-induced risks of cancer, noncancer diseases, and heritable genetic effects analyzed in this report is of great importance in evaluating the effects of ionizing radiation on human health, in decisions involving the safe use of ionizing radiation, and in addressing public controversy. Uncertainty analyses should become increasingly important in the future as the sophisticated methodologies continue to develop and become more available.

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