Radiation and Health Newsletter – Radiation Protection Week 2021
National Radiation Protection Professionals Week: November 7-13, 2021
This week, please join CDC in celebrating radiation protection professionals across the country who work every day to protect Americans from unnecessary and harmful exposures to radiation. Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered X-rays on November 8, 1895, pioneering the radiation profession. Scientific and public understanding of radiation and the way it is used has rapidly emerged in the last century. It is both a powerful source for lifesaving medical procedures, energy, and a potential source for emergency events with a wide range of consequences.
Radiation protection professionals ensure safe and optimal use of processes that create radiation and are beneficial to people and communities, such as medical imaging procedures, radiation therapy for cancer and other health conditions, and nuclear energy.
Some are specialized in radon testing and mitigation, keeping our homes safe. Others work tirelessly to prepare for radiation emergencies of any scale. They are working to address gaps in science to better understand issues that challenge the scientific community, like whether nonionizing radiation impacts health, and long-term impacts of low dose radiation, to help inform the future of public health practice.
In recognition of Radiation Protection Week, Dr. Patrick Breysse, CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health Director, issued this statement:
“CDC is honored to work with dedicated radiation protection professionals within the agency and from our many federal, state, local, and private partners. Radiation protection professionals help inform CDC’s activities and outreach in radiation and health and emergency preparedness while also bringing advancements in radiation, exposure protection, and emergency preparedness directly into communities, homes, and hospitals.”
For more information about CDC’s radiation protection activities, please visit our Radiation and Health website.
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