The recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection

The most recent recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection in its Publication 26 differ from all those made earlier by being based quantitatively on the risk of deleterious effects. Two types of effect are considered: stochastic and non-stochastic effects. The recommended dose limits are designed to avoid non-stochastic effects and reduce the risks of stochastic effects to acceptable values. The dose equivalent limits are only part of a much wider system that requires justification for the use of sources of ionizing radiation and consideration of costs and benefits to ensure that doses are kept as low as reasonably achievable. Annual Limits for Intakes (ALIs) of radionuclides by workers are recommended in ICRP Publication 30 and the dosimetric models and sources of data used to derive these values are described. ICRP are currently considering a statement about values of ALI for members of the public. The many factors by which these would differ from those recommended for workers are discussed. (author)