Congressman Mike Lawler and Congressman Mike Levin introduced the Radiation Health Research Act, according to a May 15 announcement. The legislation directs the National Institutes of Health to design and implement a program that studies the health effects of nuclear radiation on women and girls.
The bill requires research focused specifically on pregnant women, adolescent girls, and pre-adolescent girls. It also calls for long-term monitoring of participants over at least ten years.
“Radiation exposure is a serious public health concern, and we have a responsibility to better understand its long-term effects on women and young girls. This commonsense legislation ensures the NIH takes a focused, coordinated approach to studying these risks, closes existing gaps in our knowledge, and strengthens collaboration across federal agencies so we can improve research and accountability. By investing in research now, we can help prevent gaps in care and avoid greater health challenges down the road,” said Congressman Mike Lawler.
Congressman Mike Levin said: “We need more research to better understand the disproportionate impact of nuclear radiation on women’s health and we need to develop the tools to prevent exposure. This bipartisan bill invests in important research that will help us understand the long-term effects of radiation so we can track and tackle health challenges early on. I thank Rep. Lawler for his partnership on this bill and look forward to it moving through the legislative process.”
Lawler represents New York’s 17th Congressional District north of New York City. He was rated as one of Congress’s most effective freshman lawmakers.
