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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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!
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Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
INL makes a case for eliminating ALARA and setting higher dose limits
A report just released by Idaho National Laboratory reviews decades of radiation protection standards and research on the health effects of low-dose radiation and recommends that the current U.S. annual occupational dose limit of 5,000 mrem be maintained without applying ALARA—the “as low as reasonably achievable” regulatory concept first introduced in 1971—below that threshold.
Noting that epidemiological studies “have consistently failed to demonstrate statistically significant health effects at doses below 10,000 mrem delivered at low dose rates,” the report also recommends “future consideration of increasing this limit to 10,000 mrem/year with appropriate cumulative-dose constraints.”
M. E. Sawan, T. D. Bohm, M. A. Ulrickson
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 64 | Number 3 | September 2013 | Pages 555-562
Nuclear Systems: Analysis and Experiments | Proceedings of the Twentieth Topical Meeting on the Technology of Fusion Energy (TOFE-2012) (Part 2) Nashville, Tennessee, August 27-31, 2012 | doi.org/10.13182/FST13-A19152
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Detailed profiles of nuclear heating and radiation damage parameters were determined in ITER blanket modules at different poloidal locations. The results indicate that the nuclear parameters are sensitive to the configuration and material composition. Nuclear analysis was performed for several sections with cutouts in the back of the blanket modules for manifolds, inter-modular keys, and in-vessel coils to assess the impact on vacuum vessel shielding.