The possible application of the fuzzy set theory in radiation protection

The ALARA principle, one component of the ICRP basic radiation protection system, is an optimization problem requiring the consideration of factors which are complex and inaccurate. Uncertainties in radiation protection can be divided in uncertainty due to randomness and uncertainty due to fuzziness. The fuzzy set theory provides a tool to describe fuzzy situations. A brief introduction in the fuzzy set theory is given and an example familiarizes with the basic operations. The application of this theory in risk assessment is especially mentioned and an outlook is given. (author)