Justification, optimization and classification of exposure situations in radiation protection

Inspiration to this brief information was the experience of studying the draft Radiation Protection Act submitted by the Ministry of Health to the Interdepartmental Annotation Procedure (IAP) on July 20, 2017 and of the IRP itself. The bill was drafted by officials from the Public Health Service. People who are expected to be well aware of the issue because they form national safety standards and laws, and manage and direct treatment of ionizing radiation sources, and oversee observing rules of protecting humans from the hazardous effects of ionizing radiation sources. Rules on the handling and protection of radiation sources for dangerous effects are recommended by multinational organizations. They are headed by ICRP International Radiological Protection Committee, which periodically issues updated radiation protection guidelines around the 10-year period. In line with ICRP recommendations, other professional organizations, such as the IAEA, WHO, EURATOM, and, ultimately, national governments, update their basic safety standards, translating recommendations into the national legal system. Most of interested know that ICRP 103 (2007) has brought some changes to the radiation protection system. In particular, there was an increased emphasis on the comprehensive optimization of radiation protection, and in the context of the recitals principle, the meaning of the word 'harm' was broadened. In addition to health damage, in the sense of which we have long been accustomed, it includes all economic and social losses to which comes from the introduction of the radiation source and introduction of protective measures around it. To simplify access to protect people from the effects of radiation and radiation sources, three basic models of human irradiation - exposure situations: - Exposure scenarios are the result of the optimization of human irradiation due to the operation of the radiation source or the performance of activities where the risk of irradiation is not negligible; - Emergency or safety exposure situations, such as the name of the model, are considered when the source of radiation is dangerously deviating from the normal mode of operation or when there is an unforeseen occurrence of radioactive and / or excessive emission of radiation that threatens workers public; - Existing or subsistent exposure situations, in our conditions most radon in used family houses, but can be landfills after the mining of radioactive minerals, in other countries, such as Belarus, Ukraine, the Russian Federation and Japan, large areas contaminated by radioactivity from overcome nuclear accidents. In all exposure situations, the radiation protection instruments or principles are adequately applied. Justification, optimization and individual dose limits. (author)