Chile 2000: Radiation protection status and trends

The current Chilean radiation protection infrastructure is quite complex because firstly, the laws, regulations and standards in force are based on former ICRP26 recommendations;and secondly, the designation of multiple competent authorities, i.e. the Chilean Nuclear Energy Commission, the Ministry of Mining, and some divisions of the Ministry of Health, complicates the harmonization of radiation protection criteria. Furthermore, some departments of these competent authorities are operators of nuclear or radioactive facilities and none of them has the competence to ratify either first or second order regulations. Consequently, the Chilean Nuclear Energy Commission is presently developing a programme to review all current national regulations to submit to the Government for consideration. The main objectives of the revision are to: update the legal framework; include safety commitments taken on by subscription to international treaties, conventions and agreements; improve the regulations with the BSS and ICRP based new recommendations on radiation protection; work towards the establishment of a single, independent national regulatory authority. This paper presents the current Chilean status of radiation protection status and suggests how to update it. (author)