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Mission and Functions
Mission
The Office of International Health Studies engages in the conduct of international scientific studies that may provide new knowledge and information about the human response to ionizing radiation in the workplace or people exposed in communities as a
result of nuclear accidents. The mission includes providing health and environmental monitoring services to populations specified by law.
Functions
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Manage the Marshall Islands Program to provide medical screening and care for the Rongelap and Utrők population exposed in the Marshall Islands to fallout from a 1954 atmospheric nuclear weapons test.
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Manage the Japan Program through support for the Radiation Effects Research Foundation. This jointly funded program supports health studies conducted by RERF of the A-bomb survivors in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The results of RERF research on A-bomb survivors are the primary basis for international radiation protection
standards.
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Manage the Spain Program through scientific support of Project Indalo with the Spanish Government. This program provides medical surveillance and environmental monitoring as a result of a "broken arrow" event that contaminated portions of farm
land in Palomares, Spain. The program is expected to improve our understanding of the environmental behavior of plutonium in an arid ecosystem and pathways to people living and working in the region.
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Manage the Russia Health Studies Program through a portfolio of cooperative health research and radiation studies with the Russian Federation Joint Coordinating Committee for Radiation Effects Research. The program evaluates long-term effects on workers and populations living near the Russian production site at Mayak. The
effort is expected to answer critical questions on the health impacts associated with long-term, low dose-rate radiation exposures.
For additional information, contact Barbara Halter
Gerald R. Petersen, Director, Office of International Health Studies
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