We thank Drs. Walsh and Schneider for their interest in our article “Effect of Heterogeneity in Background Incidence on Inference about the Solid-Cancer Radiation Dose Response in Atomic Bomb Survivors” by Cologne et al., Radiat Res 2019; 192:388–398 and for their constructive remarks (1 ). Many researchers at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) have been closely involved with activities of international radiation protection agencies, so we well understand the needs of those agencies. As an independent research entity, RERF is charged with contributing to the health and welfare of the atomic bomb survivors and to the enhancement of the health of all humankind through its research on health effects associated with radiation. In fulfilling that mission, RERF researchers may not be able to rapidly or fully respond to the requirements of radiation protection agencies, which have missions, agendas, and time frames that are separate from our own.
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