Health Studies
The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education is building a strong foundation for addressing present and future concerns about human health. In support of the U.S. Department of Energy, ORISE collects, manages, and analyzes health data on current and former workers; conducts epidemiologic studies and health surveillance; and provides technical assistance in the protection of human subjects.
By designing and maintaining worker exposure and health data registries, ORISE has provided DOE with valuable capabilities to address worker concerns efficiently. These data are evaluated and made available to policy and regulatory officials, but also to researchers and the scientific community as a matter of public interest and environmental concern.
ORISE works closely with DOE to administer its Human Subjects Protection Program, which ensures the rights and protection of human research participants in all research funded by DOE, conducted at DOE institutions, or performed by DOE employees or their contractors. ORISE supports DOE Institutional Review Boards for oversight of research activities and in keeping the public informed on the types of research DOE commissions.
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In this section
ORISE Health Studies helping to resolve the “radiation risk debate”
A recent article in Science, titled “Resolving the Radiation Risk Debate,” examines renewed national attention on the “linear no-threshold” (LNT) model, which assumes that any amount of radiation exposure, no matter how small, carries some risk. Among the key research efforts includes the Million Person Study, one of the largest and most comprehensive investigations of chronic, low-dose occupational radiation exposure ever undertaken.