DOE's Million Person Study (MPS)

The Million Person Study (MPS) aims to understand the health effects from occupational radiation exposures relevant to the U.S. workforce. DOE workers comprise nearly one third of the entire cohort and provides substantial data for this important study. 

Established in the early 2000s, MPS is the first and largest study of its kind to investigate the health effects of low-dose radiation on American workers and veterans throughout the 20th century. This large scale epidemiological study is critical for examining remaining gaps and deepening understanding of the effects of protracted or chronic radiation exposures. The broad categories of cohorts in the MPS allows for the assessment of exposures from a variety of environments and occupations, including:

• DOE Workers including Manhattan Project Sites
• Atomic Veterans
• Nuclear Power Plant Workers
• Industrial Radiographers
• Medical Radiation Workers
• Nuclear Submariners
• Radium Dial Workers

The multidisciplinary study team leverages expertise across government, academia, and industry sectors to actively produce state-of-the-art science. To ensure results are communicated throughout DOE and the broader scientific community epidemiologic findings are disseminated through peer-reviewed scientific publications, presentations, and reports. MPS leverages the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education’s (ORISE) data assets from past DOE epidemiologic studies captured in the Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource (CEDR) and the DOE Radiation Exposure Monitoring System (REMS) repository and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)'s Radiation Exposure Information and Reporting System (REIRS) radiation records repositories. Collectively, these resources capture more than 75 years of occupational radiation data, dating from 1942 to present.

Findings from the MPS promise to improved risk assessments and radiation protection not only for DOE workers but also for workers in other industries such as medicine, military, environmental clean-up, and air and space travel, as well as members of the public exposed to low-dose chronic radiation. 

For more information about the MPS program, please contact Dr. Linh Duong.