The Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with a vaguely worded proposal that may lay the groundwork to zap current federal regulations on low-dose radiation exposures. Today, Wednesday, October 3, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is holding a hearing to discuss the proposed rule, titled Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science (PDF), which the agency first introduced in April. Though the proposed rule does not explicitly mention radiation exposure regulations, a press release from the agency announcing the proposal makes clearer the agency’s intentions, the Associated Press first reported. The release quotes toxicologist Edward Calabrese of the University of Massachusetts, saying: “The proposal represents a major scientific step forward by recognizing the widespread occurrence of non-linear dose responses in toxicology and epidemiology for chemicals and radiation and the need to incorporate such data in the risk assessment process.”
Ars Technica 4th Oct 2018 read more »