Selected Agencies Generally Used Advice from Scientific Advisory Bodies to Develop and Apply Radiation-Protection Requirements and Guidance

In developing and applying radiation protection requirements and  guidance for workers and the public—specifically, limits on dose or  increased health risk and guidance levels on exposure—EPA, NRC,  DOE, and FDA have generally taken the advice of scientific advisory  bodies. This advice includes the use of  the linear no-threshold model, which assumes that the risk of cancer  increases with every incremental increase in radiation exposure. For  example, NRC’s annual dose limit for members of the public (excluding  natural, or background, sources of radiation) from operation of nuclear  power plants is a hundredth of the level the National Academies  considers low dose. Moreover, officials at the plant  told us that they have been able to keep exposures below the plant’s own  limit by continuously seeking opportunities to reduce unnecessary worker  exposure to radiation, such as using robots to perform maintenance work  in radiation areas. Seven Agencies Have Funded Research on the Health Effects of Low-Dose Radiation but Have Not Collaborated on Overall Research Priorities

From fiscal year 2012 through fiscal year 2016, seven federal agencies  obligated $209.6 million for research on the health effects of low-dose  radiation, but they did not use a collaborative mechanism to address  overall research priorities in this area. DOE also provided funding for this study. As previously noted, the 2016 report  of DOE’s Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee  provided information about research needs in low-dose radiation and  found that further research could decrease uncertainty in predicting  cancer risk from low-dose radiation. We made this recommendation because our previous work has shown  that collaborative mechanisms can serve multiple purposes, such as  leading interagency efforts to develop and coordinate sound science and  technology policies across the federal government. In the  past, DOE took a leading role in advocating for greater communication  and coordination between the fields of radiation biology and  epidemiology. In addition, DOE is the federal agency that currently has  primary responsibility under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 for research  related to the protection of health during activities that can result in  exposure to radiation. DOE is well positioned to lead an effort to ensure  that federal agencies have a mechanism for interagency collaboration to  address overall research priorities related to low-dose radiation health  effects because of the agency’s past experience as a leader in this area  of research.
Why GAO Did This Study

This testimony summarizes the information contained in GAO's September 2017 report, entitled Low-Dose Radiation: Interagency Collaboration on Planning Research Could Improve Information on Health Effects ( GAO-17-546 ).

What GAO Found

The Department of Energy (DOE), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Food and Drug Administration generally used the advice of scientific advisory bodies to develop and apply radiation protection requirements and guidance for workers and the public in the radiation exposure settings that GAO reviewed. These settings were: (1) the operation and decommissioning of nuclear power plants; (2) the cleanup of sites with radiological contamination; (3) the use of medical equipment that produces radiation; and (4) accidental or terrorism-related exposure to radiation. Specifically, the agencies relied on the advice of three scientific advisory bodies that supported the use of a model that assumes the risk of cancer increases with every incremental radiation exposure. Accordingly, the agencies have set regulatory dose limits and issued guidance to confine exposure to levels that reduce the risk of cancer, while recognizing that scientific uncertainties occur in estimating cancer risks from low-dose radiation. For example, NRC requires nuclear power plants to consider measures for limiting workers' exposure below NRC's regulatory dose limit, such as by using robots for maintenance work in radiation areas.
GAO identified seven federal agencies that funded research on low-dose radiation's health effects. In fiscal years 2012 to 2016, DOE, NRC, EPA, and four other federal agencies obligated about $210 million for such research . Although the agencies have collaborated on individual projects on radiation's health effects, they have not established a collaborative mechanism to set research priorities. GAO's previous work has shown that federal agencies can use such mechanisms to implement interagency collaboration to develop and coordinate sound science policies. In the past, DOE took a leading role in this area because DOE provided stable funding and advocated for greater coordination on research on low-dose radiation's health effects. However, since fiscal year 2012, DOE has phased out funding for one of its main research programs in this area. This has created a void in coordination efforts among federal agencies, and no other agency has stepped forward to fill this void. Because of DOE's prior experience as a leader in this area of research and its research responsibility under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, it could play an important role in helping federal agencies establish a coordinating mechanism for low-dose radiation research.
Dollars are in millions and have not been adjusted for inflation
Source: GAO analysis of agency data. | GAO-17-546