The new recommendations of the ICRP

In April 1991 the ICRP published new basic recommendations for radiological protection (ICRP Publication 60). On the basis of long-term practical experiences the general concepts and principles of radiation protection are systematically outlined in these recommendations, distinguishing between planned and pre-existing, unplanned situations. Furthermore, the now available epidemiological data from the atomic bomb survivors indicate a risk of radiation-induced cancer which is about a factor of 4 higher than the value assumed previously. This finding necessitates a tightening of radiation protection control and a reduction of dose limits. For planned situations the ICRP recommends now the following reduced limits of the effective dose: For members of the public an average of 1 mSv per year, averaged over any consecutive 5-year period; and for workers 100 mSv cumulated over 5 years, corresponding to an average value of 20 mSv per year, but not more than 50 mSv in a single year. (orig.)