A review on 'radiological protection at the start of the 21st century'

The draft 'Radiological Protection at the Start of the 21st Century' from ICRP Main Commission in May 2002 and presentations by ICRP Chairman Dr. Roger H Clarke from 2000 to 2002 give a clear indication of ICRP coming Recommendations. Comments on it are presented in this paper. Exclusion of the justification of a practice' from the system of radiological protection is feasible. Therefore, 'the justification of a practice' should also not be included in protective practice concerning medical exposure. As justification of a practice' has been excluded from the system of radiological protection, it does not need to write a section (3.2 The justification of a practice) in the draft to discuss it. There is not clear description about what the system of radiological protection is in the draft Recommendations. As the significant importance of the system, it is desirable to give a clear but simplified description on it. The draft Recommendations gives clear definitions of actions to control exposures, direct action and pathway action, in section 3.1 of the draft, but another term 'environmental action', which is not clearly defined, is used in the draft more frequently than the clearly clearly defined term 'pathway action'. Are the two terms the same or different? The quantity 'collective dose' should be kept, though a detailed definition is needed. (author)