The dilemma of low-level risks: the below-regulatory-concern issue

Conference · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1991 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States)

OSTI ID:7076868

Congel, F J; Willis, C A ^[1]

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1. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC (United States)

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), in an effort to concentrate its limited resources on significant safety issues, formulated the below-regulatory-concern (BRC) policy as a logical framework for exempting low-risk issues from regulatory control. Public and political opposition has been strong. The background, the issues, and the policy questions are discussed in this paper. There is a major difference between actual risk, as determined by analysis and experience, and the public perception of risk. Regulatory action must be determined in part by public perception. This creates a dilemma in allocating resources on significant issues. The problems with the BRC policy exemplify this problem.

• OSTI ID: 7076868
• Report Number(s): CONF-911107-; CODEN: TANSA; TRN: 92-030868
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States), Vol. 63; Conference: 1991 Winter meeting of the American Nuclear Society (ANS) session on fundamentals of fusion reactor thermal hydraulics, San Francisco, CA (United States), 10-15 Nov 1991; ISSN 0003-018X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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054000* - Nuclear Fuels- Health & Safety
052000 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Management