NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
COMMISSION ON LIFE SCIENCES
2101 Constitution Avenue Washington, D.C. 20418
January 25, 1999
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dr. James M. Smith
Chief, Radiation Studies Division
Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects National Center for Environmental Health Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 4770 Buford Highway, NE (MS F35)Atlanta, GA 30341-3724
Dear Dr. Smith:
On behalf of the Commission on Life Sciences and the Board on Radiation Effects Research, I am pleased to enclose an original copy of the NRC Letter Report. An additional 25 copies are also enclosed for your use. This Letter Report is in response to your request to review some specific issues related to the validation of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction as part of Contract # 200-95-0965. The report, signed by the chairman of the NRC Committee on an Assessment of CDC Radiation Studies, William J. Schull, represents the unanimous opinion of the committee. It was prepared in order to provide advice and we hope that it meets your needs and the needs of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As you are aware, we normally strive to produce letter reports in a timely manner. This was not possible in this case as a result of other assignments from CDC for this committee and most of its members, including the request for the letter report regarding the Hanford Thyroid Disease Study that was delivered to CDC last summer. Also, as explained in this HEDR letter report, the committee members received additional materials that it felt compelled to review critically during the course of its work because those materials were directly relevant to the issues under review.
Consistent with NRC policy, we will provide copies of the Letter Report to persons who request copies. The committee and staff look forward to continuing their work with you.
Sincerely,
Myron F. Uman
Acting Executive Director
The National Research Council is the principal operating agency of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering to serve government and other organizations