Expert Reports
These reports are unique, authoritative expert evaluations. Each report is produced by a committee of experts selected by the Academy to address a particular statement of task and is subject to a rigorous, independent peer review.
Improving the Assessment of the Proliferation Risk of Nuclear Fuel Cycles (2013)
The material that sustains the nuclear reactions that produce energy can also be used to make nuclear weapons—and therefore, the development of nuclear energy is one of multiple pathways to proliferation for a non-nuclear weapon state. There is a tension between the development of future nuclear fuel cycles and managing the risk of proliferation as the number of existing and future nuclear energy systems expands throughout the world. As th... More >>
Using Science to Improve the BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program: A Way Forward (2013)
This report reviews the science that underpins the Bureau of Land Management's oversight of free-ranging horses and burros on federal public lands in the western United States, concluding that constructive changes could be implemented. The Wild Horse and Burro Program has not used scientifically rigorous methods to estimate the population sizes of horses and burros, to model the effects of management actions on the animals, or to assess th... More >>
Report in Brief
Acute Exposure Guideline Levels for Selected Airborne Chemicals: Volume 14 (2013)
At the request of the Department of Defense and the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Research Council has reviewed the relevant scientific literature compiled by an expert panel and established Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGLs) for several chemicals. AEGLs represent exposure levels below which adverse health effects are not likely to occur and are useful in responding to emergencies, such as accidental or intentional chemica... More >>
Assessing Risks to Endangered and Threatened Species from Pesticides (2013)
When determining the potential effects pesticides could pose to endangered or threatened species, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) should use a common scientific approach, this report finds. Specifically, the agencies should use a risk-assessment approach that contains problem formulation, exposure analysis, effects analysis, and ris... More >>
A Review of the Draft 2013 National Climate Assessment (2013)
Mandated by the Global Change Research Act, the National Climate Assessment is produced every four years by the U.S. Global Change Research Program. This NRC report evaluates the draft 2013 National Climate Assessment. It provides both practical suggestions for immediate improvements to the document, and broader considerations, for example, about fundamental approaches used in certain parts of the draft Assessment, and about the scope of th... More >>