Hard battles on radiation safety

The paper concerns criticism of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) recommended doses of radiation to which people should be allowed to be exposed. Campaigners are demanding a reduction of these limits. The ICRP's current recommendations on radiation exposure are described, along with the basis for fixing the limits. Studies on the survivors of the explosions at Hirashima and Nagasaki have provided data for the present limits, but the numbers involved are small. A reassessment of the Japanese data is being carried out. Results from this and from other investigations of populations exposed to radiation (i.e. workers in nuclear plants) will be used to determine the radiation risks at low doses, and provide the basis for any future ICRP recommended dose limits. (UK)