United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR)

The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) is a UN Committee established at the General Assembly in 1955. It consists of experts appointed by 31 member countries, including Japan, and is tasked with assessing the levels, influences and risks of exposure to ionizing radiation of people and the surrounding environment, and reporting those assessment results. The UNSCEAR comprehensively evaluates wide-ranging research outcomes, compiles scientific consensus obtained internationally from a politically neutral standpoint, and periodically releases its positions in the form of a report. Governments, organizations and organs worldwide utilize the UNSCEAR's analysis results as scientific grounds for assessing radiation risks and deciding on radiological protection measures.

After the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi NPS, the UNSCEAR published white papers and reports concerning the results of the assessment of exposure doses due to the accident and their influence on people's health (p.191 of Vol. 1, “Changes in International Organizations' Assessments”).

• Included in this reference material on March 31, 2024