The regulatory consequences of Publication 60 of the ICRP (International Commission on Radiological Protection)

The system of radiological protection recommended by the ICRP for future and existing proposed and continuing practices is based on the following general principles: justification, optimisation and limitation of exposure levels. This means that no practice involving exposures to radiation should be adopted unless it produces sufficient benefit to the exposed individuals or to the society to offset the radiation detriment it causes. In relation to any particular source within a practice, the magnitude of individual doses, the number of people exposed, and the likelihood of incurring exposures where these are not certain to be received should all be kept as low as reasonably achievable, economic and social factors being taken into account. The exposure of individuals resulting from the combination of all the relevant practices should be subject to dose limits, or to some control of risk in the case of potential exposures. The system for radiological protection and the values of the limits associated with it, are related the state of knowledge of the effects of radiation. This explains the periodic revision of the corresponding regulatory texts. In a field of such complexity, concerned by disciplines as diverse as medicine, biology, chemistry, statistics, etc., the question naturally arises as to which authority has the capacity to determine an agreed policy. As far as the European Community is concerned, the basic standards related to radiation protection are the subject of Directives which have to be incorporated into national laws by each member state. These directives are under review taking into account explicitly the ICRP recommendations. International agencies whose mission is concerned with the effects of ionising radiation, publish also basic standards related to radiological protection which are not imposed to the participating states except when they collaborate with those bodies, and which mainly act as international references. Such norms also comply with the recommendations of the ICRP. The ICRP is therefore at the centre of the process of development for the radiation protection regulations, even if its recommendations are not always followed with the same discipline by all of the different countries, and even though its work is sometimes contested by certain members of the scientific community. The ICRP does not possess its own research resources, and operates by analysing scientific publications. At regular intervals, determined by the evolution of the knowledge on the subject, it publishes recommendations aimed at those who are responsible for drawing up the regulations. Its most recent general recommendations date from 1977 (Publication No 26). A revision was promised for 1993-1995, but in fact this was brought forward by external events such as the accident at Chernobyl and the emotion which it provoked, resulting in the appearance of a new version in 1991, under the title of ICRP 60