The robustness of the international system of radiological protection relies on regularly updatin... more The robustness of the international system of radiological protection relies on regularly updating its scientific underpinnings while providing a clear understanding of the assumptions needed to cope with the remaining uncertainties associated to radiation-induced health risks at low dose/low dose rate (i.e. below 100 mSv or below 0.1 mSv/minute). Recent reviews of biological and epidemiological data tend to provide additional support to the assumption that, for low dose, low dose rate exposures, stochastic effects (e.g. cancer risk) follow a dose response with no threshold. However, the adoption of this Linear-Non-Threshold (LNT) model remains controversial because of the large uncertainties persisting about health risks associated with low dose/low dose rate radiation exposures. Current knowledge in low dose or low dose rate radiobiology shows that the mechanisms involved in carcinogenesis are extremely complex. The integration of biological evidence on radiation-induced cancers w...
Over two hundred years ago, Thomas Jefferson suggested the need for a broader legal curriculum. A... more Over two hundred years ago, Thomas Jefferson suggested the need for a broader legal curriculum. As the twenty-first century begins, the practice of law will increasingly demand interdisciplinary knowledge and collaboration — between those trained in law and a broad range of scientific and technical fields, including engineering, biology, genetics, ethics, and the social sciences. The practice of public health law provides a model for both the substantive integration of law with science, and for the way its practitioners work. In addition, public health law also provides a model for interdisciphuy and integrative teaching.
NGOs can play an important role in the development, implementation, and reform of public health l... more NGOs can play an important role in the development, implementation, and reform of public health laws. To be effective, NGOs must recognize the critical role law plays in protecting the health of the public and in the public health system’s emergency preparedness. They must be ready to work with federal, state, and local leaders to advance the goals that public health laws were enacted to achieve. NGOs also have technical expertise, which they can utilize to help translate highly complex scientific concepts into public health action steps that regulators, legislators, and members of the public can readily understand.Those who are most often affected by pollution tend to be low income people, the working class, Native Americans, and people of color. Those most affected by pollution issues, however, usually have the least input in the creation of policy.
The U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) sponsors a research program aimed at gaining a better un... more The U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) sponsors a research program aimed at gaining a better understanding of how low-dose radiation affects cellular functioning and progression toward disease. There have been calls to incorporate into regulatory decision-making the scientific information that this program has produced. After a discussion of the evolution of radiation protection law and the weight-of-evidence approach that agencies employ, this paper offers some preliminary thoughts about how to approach this complex and important policy question. Three implementation challenges are identified and discussed. The first implementation challenge involves explaining low-dose effects in a systems biology model. The second challenge arises when issues of population susceptibility are juxtaposed against molecular and mechanistic studies, such as those that make up much of the U.S. DOE low-dose program. The third challenge concerns integrating the results of radiation epidemiology, especially epidemiologic studies among cohorts that are exposed to low dose and low-dose rate radiation, with the results of U.S. DOE low-dose studies.
Individuals differ in their susceptibility to radiogenic cancers, and there is evidence that this... more Individuals differ in their susceptibility to radiogenic cancers, and there is evidence that this inter-individual susceptibility extends to HZE ion-induced carcinogenesis. Three components of individual risk: sex, age at exposure, and prior tobacco use, are already incorporated into the NASA cancer risk model used to determine safe days in space for US astronauts. Here, we examine other risk factors that could potentially be included in risk calculations. These include personal and family medical history, the presence of pre-malignant cells that could undergo malignant transformation as a consequence of radiation exposure, the results from phenotypic assays of radiosensitivity, heritable genetic polymorphisms associated with radiosensitivity, and postflight monitoring. Inclusion of these additional risk or risk reduction factors has the potential to personalize risk estimates for individual astronauts and could influence the determination of safe days in space. We consider how this...
Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer worldwide. Most indoor exposure occurs by diffus... more Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer worldwide. Most indoor exposure occurs by diffusion of soil gas. Radon is also found in well water, natural gas and ambient air. Pennsylvania has high indoor radon concentrations; buildings are often tested during real estate transactions with results reported to the Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP). To evaluate predictors of indoor radon concentrations. Using first floor and basement indoor radon results reported to the PADEP between 1987-2013, we evaluated associations of radon concentrations (ln-transformed) with geology, water source, building characteristics, season, weather, community socioeconomic status, community type and unconventional natural gas development measures based on drilled and producing wells. Primary analysis included 866,735 first measurements by building, the large majority from homes. The geologic rock layer on which the building sat was strongly associated with radon concentration (e.g., Axeman...
The past 50 y have seen substantial developments in radiation epidemiology, technology, dosimetry... more The past 50 y have seen substantial developments in radiation epidemiology, technology, dosimetry, regulations, and protection efforts. During the last five decades, radiation communication has also evolved, growing more sophisticated as communication science and practice have advanced and matured. This talk covers the trends in radiation protection over the past 50 y, illustrated by progress in science and practice of risk communication and changes in societal expectations, and examines challenges that will confront radiation risk communication in the future.
Systemic toxicity testing forms the cornerstone for the safety evaluation of substances. Pressure... more Systemic toxicity testing forms the cornerstone for the safety evaluation of substances. Pressures to move from traditional animal models to novel technologies arise from various concerns, including: the need to evaluate large numbers of previously untested chemicals and new products (such as nanoparticles or cell therapies), the limited predictivity of traditional tests for human health effects, duration and costs of current approaches, and animal welfare considerations. The latter holds especially true in the context of the scheduled 2013 marketing ban on cosmetic ingredients tested for systemic toxicity. Based on a major analysis of the status of alternative methods (Adler et al., 2011) and its independent review (Hartung et al., 2011), the present report proposes a roadmap for how to overcome the acknowledged scientific gaps for the full replacement of systemic toxicity testing using animals. Five whitepapers were commissioned addressing toxicokinetics, skin sensitization, repea...
The robustness of the international system of radiological protection relies on regularly updatin... more The robustness of the international system of radiological protection relies on regularly updating its scientific underpinnings while providing a clear understanding of the assumptions needed to cope with the remaining uncertainties associated to radiation-induced health risks at low dose/low dose rate (i.e. below 100 mSv or below 0.1 mSv/minute). Recent reviews of biological and epidemiological data tend to provide additional support to the assumption that, for low dose, low dose rate exposures, stochastic effects (e.g. cancer risk) follow a dose response with no threshold. However, the adoption of this Linear-Non-Threshold (LNT) model remains controversial because of the large uncertainties persisting about health risks associated with low dose/low dose rate radiation exposures. Current knowledge in low dose or low dose rate radiobiology shows that the mechanisms involved in carcinogenesis are extremely complex. The integration of biological evidence on radiation-induced cancers w...
Over two hundred years ago, Thomas Jefferson suggested the need for a broader legal curriculum. A... more Over two hundred years ago, Thomas Jefferson suggested the need for a broader legal curriculum. As the twenty-first century begins, the practice of law will increasingly demand interdisciplinary knowledge and collaboration — between those trained in law and a broad range of scientific and technical fields, including engineering, biology, genetics, ethics, and the social sciences. The practice of public health law provides a model for both the substantive integration of law with science, and for the way its practitioners work. In addition, public health law also provides a model for interdisciphuy and integrative teaching.
NGOs can play an important role in the development, implementation, and reform of public health l... more NGOs can play an important role in the development, implementation, and reform of public health laws. To be effective, NGOs must recognize the critical role law plays in protecting the health of the public and in the public health system’s emergency preparedness. They must be ready to work with federal, state, and local leaders to advance the goals that public health laws were enacted to achieve. NGOs also have technical expertise, which they can utilize to help translate highly complex scientific concepts into public health action steps that regulators, legislators, and members of the public can readily understand.Those who are most often affected by pollution tend to be low income people, the working class, Native Americans, and people of color. Those most affected by pollution issues, however, usually have the least input in the creation of policy.
The U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) sponsors a research program aimed at gaining a better un... more The U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) sponsors a research program aimed at gaining a better understanding of how low-dose radiation affects cellular functioning and progression toward disease. There have been calls to incorporate into regulatory decision-making the scientific information that this program has produced. After a discussion of the evolution of radiation protection law and the weight-of-evidence approach that agencies employ, this paper offers some preliminary thoughts about how to approach this complex and important policy question. Three implementation challenges are identified and discussed. The first implementation challenge involves explaining low-dose effects in a systems biology model. The second challenge arises when issues of population susceptibility are juxtaposed against molecular and mechanistic studies, such as those that make up much of the U.S. DOE low-dose program. The third challenge concerns integrating the results of radiation epidemiology, especially epidemiologic studies among cohorts that are exposed to low dose and low-dose rate radiation, with the results of U.S. DOE low-dose studies.
Individuals differ in their susceptibility to radiogenic cancers, and there is evidence that this... more Individuals differ in their susceptibility to radiogenic cancers, and there is evidence that this inter-individual susceptibility extends to HZE ion-induced carcinogenesis. Three components of individual risk: sex, age at exposure, and prior tobacco use, are already incorporated into the NASA cancer risk model used to determine safe days in space for US astronauts. Here, we examine other risk factors that could potentially be included in risk calculations. These include personal and family medical history, the presence of pre-malignant cells that could undergo malignant transformation as a consequence of radiation exposure, the results from phenotypic assays of radiosensitivity, heritable genetic polymorphisms associated with radiosensitivity, and postflight monitoring. Inclusion of these additional risk or risk reduction factors has the potential to personalize risk estimates for individual astronauts and could influence the determination of safe days in space. We consider how this...
Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer worldwide. Most indoor exposure occurs by diffus... more Radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer worldwide. Most indoor exposure occurs by diffusion of soil gas. Radon is also found in well water, natural gas and ambient air. Pennsylvania has high indoor radon concentrations; buildings are often tested during real estate transactions with results reported to the Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP). To evaluate predictors of indoor radon concentrations. Using first floor and basement indoor radon results reported to the PADEP between 1987-2013, we evaluated associations of radon concentrations (ln-transformed) with geology, water source, building characteristics, season, weather, community socioeconomic status, community type and unconventional natural gas development measures based on drilled and producing wells. Primary analysis included 866,735 first measurements by building, the large majority from homes. The geologic rock layer on which the building sat was strongly associated with radon concentration (e.g., Axeman...
The past 50 y have seen substantial developments in radiation epidemiology, technology, dosimetry... more The past 50 y have seen substantial developments in radiation epidemiology, technology, dosimetry, regulations, and protection efforts. During the last five decades, radiation communication has also evolved, growing more sophisticated as communication science and practice have advanced and matured. This talk covers the trends in radiation protection over the past 50 y, illustrated by progress in science and practice of risk communication and changes in societal expectations, and examines challenges that will confront radiation risk communication in the future.
Systemic toxicity testing forms the cornerstone for the safety evaluation of substances. Pressure... more Systemic toxicity testing forms the cornerstone for the safety evaluation of substances. Pressures to move from traditional animal models to novel technologies arise from various concerns, including: the need to evaluate large numbers of previously untested chemicals and new products (such as nanoparticles or cell therapies), the limited predictivity of traditional tests for human health effects, duration and costs of current approaches, and animal welfare considerations. The latter holds especially true in the context of the scheduled 2013 marketing ban on cosmetic ingredients tested for systemic toxicity. Based on a major analysis of the status of alternative methods (Adler et al., 2011) and its independent review (Hartung et al., 2011), the present report proposes a roadmap for how to overcome the acknowledged scientific gaps for the full replacement of systemic toxicity testing using animals. Five whitepapers were commissioned addressing toxicokinetics, skin sensitization, repea...
Uploads
Papers by Paul Locke