A system for radiological protection of the environment: some initial thoughts and ideas

Radiological protection has always been based on protection of man. Protection of the environment is often assumed to be implicit in the application of radiological protection generally, but this assumption is increasingly being challenged. It is therefore time to consider the feasibility of developing a complementary system for protecting the environment itself from ionising radiation, which would be both explicit and applicable to a wide range of situations. This paper outlines a possible approach using reference dose models and different types of dose effects. (author)