ICRP2021+1 | Vancouver, Canada | 6-10 November 2022

International horizon-style exercise (HSE): advancing the use of adverse outcome pathway (AOP) in radiation protection

J. Burtt 1, J. Leblanc 1, D. Beaton 2, KE. Tollefsen 3,4,5, J. Garnier-Laplace 6, D. Laurier 7, V. Chauhan 8

1 Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, 280 Slater Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5S9, Canada; 2 Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, 286 Plant Road, Chalk River, Ontario K0J-1J0, Canada; 3 Section for Ecotoxicology and Risk Assessment, Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA), Økernveien 94, N-0579, Norway; 4 Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management (MINA), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway; 5 Centre for Environmental Radioactivity (CERAD), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Post box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway; 6 OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, 46 quai Alphonse Le Gallo, 92100 Boulogne Billancourt, France; 7 Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, 92262 Fontenay aux Roses, France; 8 Consumer and Clinical Radiation Protection Bureau, Health Canada, 775 Brookfield Rd #6302C, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1C1, Canada

Citation

Burtt, J., Leblanc, J., Beaton, D., et al., 2023. International horizon-style exercise (HSE): advancing the use of adverse outcome pathway (AOP) in radiation protection. Ann. ICRP 52(1-2) Annex, 240-245.

DOI

Abstract

The Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) framework provides a means to integrate radiobiological and epidemiological data across different levels of biological organisation for an adverse outcome of interest to regulatory decision-making. The AOP approach is envisioned to improve understanding of radiation-induced effects at low doses and dose-rates and decrease the uncertainty in radiation health risk assessment. To explore the challenges in the use of AOPs, an international horizon-style exercise (HSE) was initiated through the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) High-Level Group on Low Dose Research (HLG-LDR) Radiation/Chemical (Rad/Chem) AOP joint topical group. The HSE was completed in three phases. First, candidate research questions were solicited from radiation risk professionals via a dedicated website. Second, the over 250 questions submitted were refined by a dedicated steering committee using a best-worst scaling method. During a virtual 3-day workshop, the list of questions was further refined to the top 25 priority questions. Lastly, an internet-based survey of the broader radiation risk community lead to an orderly ranking of the 25 priority questions, again using a best-worst scaling method. Major themes from the survey included the ability of AOPs to address different levels of biological organisation, radiation quality, dose or dose rate, time patterns, and confounding variables. Broadly, these efforts will help advance the use of AOP in radiation research and regulation.