United States-Russian workshop on the stochastic health effects of radiation

This report addresses one of the tasks agreed upon in the area of Environmental Transport and Health Effects (Working Group 7.2) of the JCCCNRS, i.e. to hold a workshop on the topic of the role of radiation dose rate effects on stochastic risks for low LET radiation. The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident in April 1986, released a very large quantity of radionuclides, and the populations were exposed primarily to low LET radiation from 131I, 134,137Cs and 90Sr. The workshop provided an opportunity for radiobiologists and epidemiologists to review and discuss the epidemiological data and the lessons from laboratory studies and reach conclusions on low level risk assessment resulting from the fundamental knowledge and theoretical models. Brief presentations were made by the attendees, and these are summarized herein. In addition many of the attendees prepared manuscripts which are included in this report. The discussion centered on a set of questions and insights into three general areas of low radiation dose rate science: epidemiological, experimental and theoretical. Selected papers are indexed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database