Radiation Research and Policy Coordination: A Successful Model

Abstract

The Committee on Interagency Radiation Research and Policy Coordination (CIRRPC) was charted in April 1984 by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President, Washington, DC because there was a need to ensure that Federal policies and research applicable to the use and control of radiation sources were well coordinated and integrated. The creation and maintenance of a convenient neutral forum provided opportunities for examining various agency and public interests in radiation research and policy formulation. During its 11 years of existence, the success of CIRRPC’s policy and research initiatives were supported by a professional and administrative staff whose operations were housed in a central and neutral facility that served as a focal point for the radiation coordination activities of the 18 member agencies and departments that were brought together to discuss radiation and scientific issues of mutual interest. For over a decade CIRRPC was recognized nationally and internationally for its activities, and its preparation and publication of more than 20 major reports. CIRRPC was a model of how the Federal government should coordinate radiation issues for the United States.