ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Nuclear Installations Safety
Devoted specifically to the safety of nuclear installations and the health and safety of the public, this division seeks a better understanding of the role of safety in the design, construction and operation of nuclear installation facilities. The division also promotes engineering and scientific technology advancement associated with the safety of such facilities.
Meeting Spotlight
2021 ANS Virtual Annual Meeting
June 14–16, 2021
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
Latest Magazine Issues
Apr 2021
Jan 2021
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
May 2021
Nuclear Technology
April 2021
Fusion Science and Technology
February 2021
Latest News
The New Republican podcast features ANS policy guru John Starkey
Starkey
ANS government relations director John Starkey was a recent guest on the podcast The New Republican. Starkey discussed a range of topics with podcast host Lincoln Wallis in the 30-minute episode, “All Things Nuclear.”
“In 2020, nuclear energy became the second-largest source of electricity in the United States,” Starkey said in response to Wallis’s first question, adding, “That would entail nearly 20 percent of electric generation in the U.S. Nuclear energy has also operated at 90 percent capacity rate for the past 20 years or so. No other source of electricity can touch those [capacity] numbers.… I really see [nuclear energy] being a leader in decarbonization in the country and the world.”
Ionizing radiation affects living things on the atomic level by ionizing cells. When the radiation reaches a cell, any of the following can happen.
In addition, there is evidence to suggest that unless radiation exposure reaches ten (10) times the normal background level, there is no harm to humans from radiation. Furthermore, there appears to be evidence that radiation at or near the normal background level may be beneficial to, and even necessary, for life.
For low levels of radiation exposure (under 10,000 mrem), the biological effects are so small they may not be detected at all. The body’s natural repair mechanisms often repair any damage to the cells before any effect is felt or detected. This protective effect of low levels of radiation is called “radiation hormesis.”
Last modified April 16, 2020, 10:51pm CDT
