A 1993 report on reconstruction of environmental exposures and uncertainties in support of epidemiological studies related to low-dose radiation

Abstract

Studies have been progressing for about eight years on the reconstruction of historical doses from past releases of radioactive materials to the environment. This work has been performed at the University of Utah and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, WA. This review provides an update on advances in the area of environmental dosimetry and illustrations of how techniques are being applied in epidemiological studies related to low-dose radiation. Two points will be emphasized. The first is the message of how much progress there has been in environmental dosimetry over the past decade and how this dosimetry, when combined with epidemiology, can result in powerful tools to yield a better understanding of risk from exposure. The second point to be emphasized is that our work focuses on dosimetry only, although it is important for different disciplines to work together to determine outcomes.