Helen Grogan recently served as one of the U.S. delegates to the 65th session of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) in Vienna, Austria, from June 11-14, 2018. This is Helen’s fifth year serving on UNSCEAR. The 2018 UNSCEAR delegates for the U.S. pictured above (L to R) are Bruce Napier, Helen Grogan, Vincent Holahan, Wesley Bolch, Gayle Woloschak, David Pawel, Armin Ansari.
United Nations Information Service June 14, 2018, press release:
“Over 150 scientists from 27 State Members of the Committee, four observer countries and nine observer organizations advanced the work of its scientific reports on selected evaluations of health effects and of risk inference due to radiation exposure, on lung cancer from exposure to radon, and on biological mechanisms influencing health effects from low-dose radiation exposure. The Committee also discussed its scientific evaluation of levels and trends of exposures of patients and workers to ionizing radiation. The UNSCEAR secretariat is currently running two global surveys on medical and occupational exposure. These surveys are being conducted in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the International Labour Organization and the World Health Organization.The Committee has agreed to begin its work in updating the UNSCEAR 2013 Report on the levels and effects of radiation exposure due to the nuclear accident following the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami. The Chair of UNSCEAR, Hans Vanmarcke, said: “The Committee wants to finalize its assessment before the 10th anniversary of the accident in 2021 as this would be very important for the people in Japan and the whole world.”
The Committee also agreed to establish an adhoc working group to develop its future programme of work on the effects of radiation exposure.
The Scientific Committee will hold its 66th session from 10 to 14 June 2019 in Vienna, Austria.”