UNIS/OUS/448
20 June 2025
VIENNA, 20 June (UN Information Service) — The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) approved two scientific annexes, marking the most comprehensive updates to its assessments of radiation-related cancer risks and effects on the circulatory system at its 72nd session.
More than 160 expert scientists from 30 States members of the Committee and eight international organizations attended the session, held at the Vienna International Centre, from 16 to 20 June 2025.
Addressing the Committee at the opening by video message, Elizabeth Mrema, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), reaffirmed the Committee’s critical role in providing independent, science-based assessments of radiation exposure as it approaches its 70th anniversary. She highlighted UNSCEAR’s enduring contributions to global safety and its influence on international policy, emphasizing its continued importance in a rapidly evolving world.
“The Committee’s new report on cancer epidemiology provides the most comprehensive update on the link between ionizing radiation and cancer,” said Dr. Sarah Baatout, Chair of UNSCEAR. “It integrates the latest scientific literature and risk modelling, helping us better understand how radiation exposure affects different populations based on sex, age, and other modifying factors such as smoking or genetics.” She emphasized: “The Committee’s findings from modern epidemiological studies, including new analyses of the atomic bombing survivors in Japan, strengthen contemporary assessments of radiation risks—particularly for low dose and low dose-rate exposures in medical, environmental, and occupational exposure situations.”
The Scientific Committee’s second report provides a comprehensive update on how ionizing radiation affects the circulatory system. Drawing on over 1,100 high-quality studies, it confirms increased risk of heart and vascular diseases, especially at higher doses. The report reviews biological mechanisms, dose-response data, and epidemiological evidence. Uncertainties remain at lower doses and further research is required. The findings support including risks to the circulatory system when balancing benefits and risks of radiation use.
“The newly approved scientific reports mark comprehensive updates since the Committee’s 2006 Report,” said Dr. Baatout. “As we approach UNSCEAR’s 70th anniversary, these reports reflect years of rigorous analysis and reaffirm the Committee’s enduring commitment to providing authoritative, science-based evaluations of radiation effects on human health.”
The UNSCEAR 73rd session is scheduled to take place from 4 to 8 May 2026 in Vienna, Austria.
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The mandate of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), established in 1955, is to undertake broad reviews of the sources of ionizing radiation and the effects on human health and the environment. Its assessments provide a scientific foundation for United Nations agencies and governments to formulate standards and programmes for protection against ionizing radiation. It does not deal with or assess nuclear safety or emergency planning issues. The secretariat in Vienna, which is functionally linked to the UN Environment Programme, organizes the annual sessions and manages the preparation of documents for the Committee's scrutiny.
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For information contact:
UNSCEAR secretariat
Telephone: (+43-1) 26060 4122
Email: unscear[at]un.org
www.unscear.org
Spain has ratified the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships, also known as the “Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships”.
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