Beyond Nuclear International Weekly Digest, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2026 Alarm over ALARA

Posted: 2nd November 2026

“As Low As Reasonably Achievable” (ALARA) is not the perfect way to control radiation exposures, but for 50 years the guideline has helped minimize them. Now the Trump administration wants it weakened, if not gone. 

Alarm over ALARA

Achievable” is not the same as safe, but nevertheless, ALARA has, for decades, better protected nuclear workers and the public than the system that preceded it. Thomas Bishop delivers the narrative on ALARA’s history and why it needs defending as the Trump administration attempts to dismantle and destroy it. But, as Beyond Nuclear will argue in a forthcoming article by Cindy Folkers, ALARA is still not adequate and needs to be further strengthened while nuclear plants - which should be closed - continue to operate. READ MORE

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