According to the LNT, exposure to radiation at any level can be harmful to human health and result in potentially deadly cancers. There is no safe level of exposure to radiation, and the risk of cancer is proportional to the received dose of radiation. LNT is a scientifically established, internationally accepted, data-backed model of this relationship, and it provides the basis for the foundational principle called ALARA - that radiation exposures should be kept "As Low As Reasonably Achievable" to protect workers, the public and the environment. The NRC has proposed eliminating all references to ALARA from its radiation protection regulations.

Doing away with the ALARA framework while maintaining LNT is a move toward less cautious, more speculative standards for protection against radiation. Elimination of ALARA would be a major blow to decades of good practice in radiation safety in the United States and could result in increased radiation exposures for people working in the nuclear energy, weapons production or waste cleanup industries, among others. The companies in these industries, meanwhile, may choose to save money by cutting corners on radiation shielding or other protection measures.

"These executive orders raise tremendous ethical concerns about executive branch checks and balances, and are a departure from regulatory decision-making norms," said Dr. Forté, a scientist in the Global Security Program at UCS, "U.S. regulatory science must be based on scientific evidence and follow due process-not the suggestive whims of the executive branch and the desires of the companies who stand to profit from less restrictive rules."

There is no technical or practical basis for changing the NRC's use of the LNT model and the corresponding ALARA principle in its radiation protection regulations. Since there is no safe level of radiation exposure, the proposed policy shift has the potential to harm radiation workers and communities located near nuclear power plants, contaminated nuclear sites and other nuclear facilities.

"The NRC has correctly reaffirmed the scientific consensus that there is no safe level of ionizing radiation exposure and that the cancer risk is proportional to the dose," said Dr. Edwin Lyman, the director of nuclear power safety at UCS. "However, in eliminating its use of the ALARA principle, the agency's sweeping new proposed rule would allow nuclear facility workers and the general public to be exposed to higher levels of cancer-causing radiation just to save the nuclear industry money. Cancer rates are already rising among younger people, and this change can only increase the risk."

Executive Order 14300 is one of a series of attacks on science and public health issued by the second Trump administration, which has been well documented and opposed by UCS.

Following this week's early release of the proposed rules, the NRC is scheduled to officially publish the rules on July 15, 2026, after which there will be a 45-day public comment period, during which members of the public can share their concerns with this proposal. UCS will be submitting comments on the proposed rule.