Low-dose radiation is the subject of a new investigation initiated in Congress. The news study was spurred by concerns over radiation, following the 2011 accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan.
Radiation constantly bombards everyone. The Earth itself contains radioactive elements, and air travelers receive additional doses every time they fly. Many medical treatments and tests also involve the use of low-level ionizing radiation.
"The research program involves using advances in modern molecular biology and instrumentation unavailable during the previous 50 years of radiation biology research. Scientists will be able to examine - at a systems level - the relationship between normal oxidative damage and radiation-induced damage, using studies conducted at very low doses and dose-rates," the Department of Energy (DOE) reports.
Radiation research done in the past largely focused on the effects of large doses of radiation, such as might be received by survivors of a nuclear attack. The DOE believes Americans may receive a greater amount of low-dose radiation in the next century from medical tests, clean-up of nuclear waste and terrorist attacks carried out using dirty bombs.
Health effects of small doses of radiation are still uncertain, and a bipartisan group of lawmakers crafted legislation aimed at revitalizing a Department of Energy program studying the effects of low-dose radiation.
The Low-Dose Radiation Research Act passed the House of Representatives on January 7. In order to be passed into law, the legislation would also need to pass the U.S. Senate. So far, no senator has offered to sponsor the bill in the upper house of Congress. The bill calls for the Department of Energy to produce a five-year research plan to study the effects of low levels of radiation, but does not allocate any new funding for the program.
"The Director of the Department of Energy Office of Science shall carry out a research program on low dose radiation. The purpose of the program is to enhance the scientific understanding of and reduce uncertainties associated with the effects of exposure to low dose radiation in order to inform improved risk management methods," H.R. 5544 reads.
Although the effects of high doses of radiation are clear, medical researchers are uncertain how much radiation a person can safely absorb over a given period of time, or if such a "safe limit" even exists. Some researchers claim that any level of certain forms of radiation are dangerous, while others have concluded it has no effect. A few even state that low doses of radiation can be healthy.
"If we are squandering resources that need not be squandered, we should know that. If research shows that we should do more than we are doing now to properly assure public and worker health, we certainly must know that," the Nuclear Energy Institute reported.
