The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed a change to how it will approach standards for radiation protections, notably including the elimination of the “as low as reasonably achievable” (ALARA) principle. The proposed change was published in the Federal Register on July 15, and yesterday the agency held a public meeting on the topic.

In the meeting, Mike Franovich, director of the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, gave a presentation summarizing the changes, and NRC staff answered questions from participants. The meeting facilitator, Lance Rakovan, described it as a “very popular meeting,” drawing more than 550 participants, and the NRC staff was unable to address all questions in the scheduled time.

In February, a study published in Nature Communications found a correlation between proximity to nuclear power plants and rates of cancer mortality. While the authors acknowledged that causation could not be established, they nonetheless said that calculations supported evidence of 115,586 “cancer deaths attributable to nuclear power plants proximity.”

On its release, this study garnered significant media attention—sparking worry among the public and immediate pushback from radiation experts. ANS recently hosted a webinar taking a deeper look at what that study (and other similar proximity studies) got wrong, the science behind what we do and do not know, and why these conversations matter.

On July 1, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission proposed removing the “as low as reasonably achievable” (ALARA) principle from its radiation protection regulations and replacing it with a graded approach. The agency also proposed increases to effluent dose limits and adjusting how it handles allowances for exceeding dose limits.

A study published in Nature Communications found a correlation between proximity to nuclear power plants and rates of cancer mortality.

The paper, “National Analysis of Cancer Mortality and Proximity to Nuclear Power Plants in the United States,” said that the study could not establish causation but also said that the researchers’ calculations support evidence of 115,586 “cancer deaths attributable to nuclear power plants proximity.”

Amir Bahadori, nuclear engineering program director at Kansas State University, cautioned that this study should not be read as proof that nuclear power plants cause cancer deaths.

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission draft regulatory guide—DG-8061, “Release of Patients Administered Radioactive Material”—proposes guidance on the release of patients after a medical procedure involving the administration of radiopharmaceuticals or the implantation of a sealed source. The guidance is intended to help licensees interpret NRC regulations designed to protect the people—family, friends, caregivers, or members of the general public—who may be in proximity to a patient who is discharged after receiving nuclear medicine treatment.