Resolving the radiation risk debate
Summary
When US President Trump signed an executive order in May 2025 seeking to streamline the adoption of nuclear energy by directing federal agencies to reconsider whether radiation protection standards have been unnecessarily strict, he reignited a debate that has smoldered in radiation science for decades. At the heart of the controversy is the linear nonthreshold (LNT) model-the idea that any amount of radiation, no matter how small, has damaging biological effects. Resolving whether LNT is
Content
# Resolving the radiation risk debate
*Published: 2026 Apr 23*
When US President Trump signed an executive order in May 2025 seeking to
streamline the adoption of nuclear energy by directing federal agencies to
reconsider whether radiation protection standards have been unnecessarily
strict, he reignited a debate that has smoldered in radiation science for
decades. At the heart of the controversy is the linear nonthreshold (LNT)
model-the idea that any amount of radiation, no matter how small, has damaging
biological effects. Resolving whether LNT is a reasonable precaution or a costly
misapplication of incomplete science will require not just better arguments, but
better data.
DOI: 10.1126/science.aei0907