Accidents and terrorist attacks that lead to the release of radioactive materials can cause deaths, injuries, and a range of psychosocial effects in the surrounding community and team of emergency responders. In the United States, federal, state, and local agencies respond with the necessary resources to address the consequences of nuclear and radiological incidents and monitor the affected population. Following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident and the 2017 Gotham Shield National Level Exercise, the CDC recognized an opportunity to improve their practices by establishing a more efficient and timely health effect surveillance system before another incident occurs. On March 12-13th, 2019, the National Academies convened a workshop to discuss the process for preparing a radiation registry for monitoring long-term health effects of populations affected by a nuclear or radiological incident. Participants assessed existing information, useful practices, and tools for planning a radiation registry that will enhance incident monitoring and response methods. This publication summarizes the discussions and presentations from the workshop.

Contents

• The National Academies of SCIENCES • ENGINEERING • MEDICINE
• WORKSHOP PLANNING COMMITTEE
• NUCLEAR AND RADIATION STUDIES BOARD
• Reviewers
• Acronyms and Abbreviations
• Overarching Workshop Themes
• 1. Introduction and Background
  • 1.1. ABOUT THE STUDY REQUEST
  • 1.2. THE WORKSHOP GOAL
  • 1.3. BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND CONTEXT
• 2. Planning for a Radiation Registry
  • 2.1. ENGAGING STAKEHOLDERS
  • 2.2. DEFINING THE PURPOSE OF A REGISTRY
  • 2.3. AGREEING ON ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
  • 2.4. LINKING IMMEDIATE RESPONSE TO LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP
  • 2.5. IMPLEMENTING RADIATION DOSE THRESHOLD AS A REGISTRY INCLUSION CRITERION
  • 2.6. SCREENING FOR DISEASE
  • 2.7. PREPARING FOR LONG-TERM COMMUNICATIONS
• References
• Appendix A. Workshop Agenda
• Appendix B. Committee Member, Presenter, and Staff Member Biographies

Suggested citation:

Suggested citation: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Long-Term Health Monitoring of Populations Following a Nuclear or Radiological Incident in the United States: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25443.

Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/25443

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