In 1997, after more than a decade of research, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) released a report which provided their assessment of radiation exposures that Americans may have received from radioactive iodine released from the atomic bomb tests conducted in Nevada during the 1950s and early 1960s. This book provides an evaluation of the soundness of the methodology used by the NCI study to estimate:




Past radiation doses.
Possible health consequences of exposure to iodine-131.
Implications for clinical practice.
Possible public health strategies—such as systematic screening for thyroid cancer—to respond to the exposures.


In addition, the book provides an evaluation of the NCI estimates of the number of thyroid cancers that might result from the nuclear testing program and provides guidance on approaches the U.S. government might use to communicate with the public about Iodine-131 exposures and health risks.

Table of Contents


Front Matter
Executive Summary
1 Introduction
2 Review of the NCI Radiation Dose Reconstruction
3 Health Risks of I-131 Exposure
4 Implications for Clinical Practice and Public Health Policy
5 Communicating with the Public about Exposure to I-131
6 Research Needs
References
Glossary
Appendix A. Study Activities
Appendix B. Copy of the Memorandum from Dr. Charles Land to Dr. Richard Klausner
Appendix C. Calculation of Collective Thyroid Dose to the U.S. Population from the Release of I-131 from the Nuclear Weapons Tests in Nevada
Appendix D. Thyroid Cancer in Idaho, 1970-1996
Appendix E. Applicable Radiation Exposure Standards and Guides: Past and Present
Appendix F. Screening for Thyroid Cancer: Background Paper
Committee Biographies