EPA Staff propose rejection of National Academy of Sciences findings on Radiation Risks

Politicized, Anti-Science Effort to Set Lax Radiation Protection Standards

The EPA requested (and funded) the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to study the state of scientific knowledge on the risks to human health of “low doses” of radiation.  NAS found that there is no safe level of radiation; all doses increase the risk of cancer; and “low-level” radiation is about a third more dangerous in inducing cancer than EPA currently presumes in setting radiation standards to protect the public.  You would think EPA would now tighten its regulations accordingly.  You would be wrong.  EPA staff has now proposed ignoring the Academy’s recommendations and setting lower radiation risk figures than the NAS had found.  In 27 of 28 comparisons between the NAS findings and the EPA recommendations, the EPA proposals were more lax (i.e. would result in more risk to the public).  Bridge the Gap, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, and Public Citizen have disclosed this scandal.

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