NASA's new radiation standards for astronauts are seen as leveling the playing field for womenNASA's plans to change its radiation exposure standard to astronauts has been approved by a blue-ribbon panel. This would enable women to spend more time in space.The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine issued a report on June 24 encouraging NASA to continue with its plans to adopt a new standard. This will limit all astronauts to 600msieverts of radiation per year. The current limit refers to radiation that corresponds with a 3% rise in cancer risk due to radiation exposure. This standard was favored by older astronauts and men who were more susceptible to radiation-related cancer. The proposed standard would restrict all astronauts to radiation doses that are permissible for a woman aged 35 years.Hedvig Hricak is a Radiologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering's Cancer Center, and was the chair of the committee that drafted the report. She says there is no evidence of a significant gender gap in radiation exposure and the associated cancer risk.NASA is gearing up to launch a new mission to Mars and reexplore the Moon. Paul Locke, an environmental expert from Johns Hopkins University, who wasn't on the committee, said that the change would remove gender from the criteria used to determine who is chosen for these missions. He says that women will not be penalized as they are considered to be at greater risk under the old model.While some experts praise NASA's intentions, others are concerned that the proposal doesn't take into account the complexity and uncertainty of deep space travel. They have gathered the most accurate data. However, more research will be required, states Albert Fornace, a radiobiologist from Georgetown University. Because so few people have traveled beyond low-Earth orbits, the majority of data needed to set radiation exposure limits in space comes from radiation survivors in Japan or studies of radiation-exposed people like uranium miners. Fornace says that the long time it takes to reach Mars gives scientists enough time to find ways to protect astronauts from radiation at higher levels.Francis Cucinotta is a biophysicist from the University of Nevada Las Vegas who doesn't support the single dose level. The former chief scientist of NASA's radiation program believes equity should be in the form equal radiation doses and risk.It sounds like they are just going to ignore science and make it easy for everyone, Cucinotta said. Cucinotta argued that race, age, and sex all have an impact on the risk of developing cancer. These factors should be considered when determining how long astronauts can stay in space. There are many factors that affect the selection of astronauts. They aren't using that model.Cucinotta will stick to the 3% increase in cancer mortality. Cucinotta proposes a 5% increase in the maximum cancer risk for a Mars mission. This is after weighing genetic markers and researching countermeasures that could be used to lower astronauts' chances of developing cancer.NASA wants to improve the way it informs astronauts about risks, even though a Mars mission is not in the cards for at least ten years. NASA proposed a color-coded stoplight system that uses green for people at the lowest risk, yellow for people with higher risks, and red for anyone who would exceed the lifetime radiation limit. A waiver would be required for any astronaut who is likely to exceed the limit.Ann Bostrom, an expert in risk communication at the University of Washington Seattle, was a member of the committee. She worries that such a system might not be capable of communicating complex information. Bostrom states that sometimes a system can be too simple and cause people to miss nuances they might otherwise see. This is why [NASA] needs to really test it.Scott Kelly, an astronaut who spent almost a year in space, says he appreciates the simplicity of NASA's traffic light system. He also notes that it mirrors other NASA systems. That thing is my favorite. It isn't the best tool, but it does not mean it is the worst. He says that it was one that made me very happy.Cucinotta, along with others, worry that astronauts don't have the ability to see the risks and make informed decisions about the health implications of the next mission. Kelly was only 1.4% more likely to develop cancer after being exposed to radiation for 240 millisieverts over his 20-year career.He says there are many factors that can influence whether you develop a fatal illness. You are accepting many other risks when you fly in space. This one is not the greatest.
