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Meeting 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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Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2025
Nuclear Technology
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July 2025
Latest News
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.
Joeun L. Kot, Theodore Thomas, Jason T. Harris
Nuclear Technology | Volume 211 | Number 3 | March 2025 | Pages 570-583
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2024.2343971
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Risk assessment involves analyzing potential accident scenarios to identify hazards and assess associated risk factors. Nuclear safety and security both aim to protect against radiation exposure, but they have developed separately with distinct risk assessment methodologies. As a result, there is a need for a comprehensive risk assessment method that covers both the safety and security aspects. The Potential Facility Risk Index (PFRI) was developed in 2020 to provide a quantitative approach to evaluating the security risk of nuclear facilities, but it does not consider safety risks.
This study aims to enhance the PFRI framework by incorporating probabilistic risk assessment methods to include safety risks. It assesses the risk of a hypothetical incident caused by adversaries at a hypothetical nuclear facility after a successful theft of nuclear material, followed by the construction and detonation of a radiological dispersal device. To achieve this goal, the study utilized event tree analysis and pathway analysis for loss event assessment and consequence analysis using the MELCOR accident consequence code systems for loss magnitude. New risk criteria were also established to determine the PFRI risk score.
Based on the results, the study found that the PFRI score for the hypothetical facility was 1, indicating that the risk level was negligible. Future studies incorporating other scenarios, such as sabotage and transportation, will help assess the total security risk of the facility. This method can also help facilitate the integration of risk assessments for nuclear safety and security.