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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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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.
Steven A. Arndt (NRC)
Proceedings | Nuclear Plant Instrumentation, Control, and Human-Machine Interface Technolgies (NPIC&HMIT 2019) | Orlando, FL, February 9-14, 2019 | Pages 993-999
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 603-1991, “IEEE Standard Criteria for Safety Systems for Nuclear Power Generating Stations,” a technology neutral standard incorporated by reference in 10 CFR 50.55a(h), serves as the key regulatory requirement for instrumentation and control (I&C) safety systems in nuclear power plants in the U.S. Although the use of this standard and other IEEE standards have proven to be an effective method for the review and acceptance of I&C systems in the U.S., the NRC staff and a number of their stakeholders have indicated that relying on only conformance this standard to demonstrate safety may not provide the flexibility that many licensees and applicants desire. Although the U.S. has used IEEE standards since the beginning of the commercial nuclear industry as the primary reference for the development and licensing of I&C systems in nuclear power plants, other standards, such as the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards are widely used by vendors that provide components to the nuclear industry. There is an interest in using IEC standards to provide effective methods for the review of digital systems as part of the NRC review process. This paper will discuss possible alternatives for updating the regulatory infrastructure to accomplish this objective.