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Meeting Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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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The U.S. Million Person Study of Low-Dose-Rate Health Effects
There is a critical knowledge gap regarding the health consequences of exposure to radiation received gradually over time. While there is a plethora of studies on the risks of adverse outcomes from both acute and high-dose exposures, including the landmark study of atomic bomb survivors, these are not characteristic of the chronic exposure to low-dose radiation encountered in occupational and public settings. In addition, smaller cohorts have limited numbers leading to reduced statistical power.
J. O. Blomeke, A. G. Croff
Nuclear Technology | Volume 56 | Number 2 | February 1982 | Pages 361-371
Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT82-A32864
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The long-term (>1000 years) hazard of radioactive waste emplaced in a geologic repository could be reduced by separating the most significant long-lived radionuclides and transmitting them to stable products by bombardment with neutrons in power reactors. A cost-risk-benefit analysis of this concept shows that, while it is technically feasible to partition and transmute the principal long-lived constituents, there are no cost-risk-benefit incentives that can be identified. The cost of partitioning and transmuting the actinide elements is estimated to be $9.2 million/ GW(electric). yr [1.28 mill/kWh(electric)]. The shortterm radiological risk is increased by 0.003 health-effect/GW(electric). yr, and the expected long-term benefit (i.e., incremental risk reduction from a repository) is 0.06 health-effect/GW(electric ).yr integrated over 1 million years. The latter is only ∼0.001% of the health effects expected from natural background radiation and is equivalent to $32 400 per person-rem saved. If nonradio logical risks are included, the short-term risk actually exceeds the long-term benefits.