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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.
Bernd K. Buchheim, Hans Bunschi, and, Franz J. Hoop, James Fitzpatrick
Nuclear Technology | Volume 61 | Number 3 | June 1983 | Pages 444-449
Technical Paper | New Directions in Nuclear Energy with Emphasis on Fuel Cycles / Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT83-A33167
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
One of the methods currently under consideration for the disposal of radioactive wastes is emplacement in a repository within deep, continental formations. A licensing requirement for such a facility will presumably be some form of safety analysis report on the radiological impact of the facility. A methodology has been developed to make an assessment of the radiological consequences both for normal operation and for possible accident situations for a specific repository design in a salt dome at Gorleben in Germany, a repository which has been designed to accommodate all categories of radioactive waste (low, intermediate, and high level). Radionuclide release scenarios were derived from a systematic analysis of the facility design and proposed operational procedure. Where necessary, simple numerical models for such topics as direct radiation exposure from waste containers, release and transport of radionuclides, radiolysis, heat transfer, creep, and impact were developed to give a first estimate of the radiological consequences due to radionuclide releases. The results enabled sensitive areas of the design and the operational procedure to be identified, and thus possible modifications and/or precautionary measures could be recommended. The results also gave an indication of those parts of the analysis requiring more sophisticated and specialized modeling techniques to yield a more detailed radiological consequence analysis in preparation for a safety analysis report.