What is good radiation protection?

Radiation protection is based on the ICRP-System with its pillars justification, limitation and optimization. From this radiation protection should be the same irrespective of the application of radiation. But radiation protection in the nuclear industry is much different from the use of radiation sources or X-ray units. This is by far not due to the different technologies. It originates from the different interpretation of the system. For one person good radiation protection would mean to have no radiation exposures, to avoid radiation at all as best option and to use it only if there are no alternatives. For another person the best radiation protection would be the one which does not produce much efforts and costs. So what is reasonable? In reality the first interpretation prevails, at least in Germany. A change is needed. If we continue to exercise radiation protection as we do it today the beneficial application of radiation will be restricted unduly and might become impossible at all. A stronger orientation towards the naturally occurring radiation would help instead to regulate natural radiation in the same way as it is done for artificial radiation. The system of ICRP has to be changed fundamentally.