Annals of the ICRP最新文献

This publication provides an update of the recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection for application of the fundamental radiological protection principles for the disposal of radioactive waste in a surface and near-surface disposal facility. The goal of a surface and near-surface disposal system is to provide protection of humans and the environment from the hazards associated with the radioactive waste suitable to the prevailing circumstances. Application of the ICRP System of Radiological Protection for a surface and near-surface disposal facility includes justification of the practice generating the waste, and is considered in the context of a planned exposure situation. The design basis for the facility considers the potential for exposures to humans and the environment associated with its expected evolution, taking into account reasonably foreseeable faults. Optimisation of protection is an iterative, systematic, and transparent evaluation of protective options to reduce the impacts to humans and the environment. Optimisation is essential throughout all life phases, and is of particular importance in the design phase, as this will determine the performance of the facility in the operational and post-closure phases. To deal with the distant future and low-probability scenarios, optimisation has to be complemented by aspects such as robustness, defence in depth, etc. to provide assurance that reasonable steps have been taken to maintain the long-term integrity of the facility. In the case of severe natural disruptive events or human intrusion beyond the design basis, application of the ICRP System of Radiological Protection should be considered with reference to existing exposure situations. Due to the nature of the hazards and associated time scales, the fundamental strategy adopted for the disposal of low- and very-low-level radioactive waste is: to contain and isolate the waste until the short-lived radionuclides have decayed to levels that can no longer give rise to significant exposures; and to limit the activity content of longer-lived radionuclides to ensure that doses and risk are also limited in the long term, when containment and isolation capacities may be diminishing. The successful implementation of this strategy is demonstrated through a structured safety case. The specific options for a surface and near-surface disposal facility will depend upon the particular situation, including the nature of the waste, the local physical environment, and the societal context. Dialogue between the operator, regulator, and stakeholders should be established as early as possible in the process, with the inclusion of ethical values to help contribute to promoting a shared understanding of the application of the ICRP System of Radiological Protection.© 2024 ICRP. Published by SAGE.

This publication is the first in a series of publications giving age-specific dose coefficients for members of the public for environmental intakes of radionuclides by inhalation and ingestion. This series replaces the Publication 56 series, updates some data from Publication 119, and is in addition to the Occupational Intakes of Radionuclides series. The revised dose coefficients have been calculated using the Publication 100 Human Alimentary Tract Model and the Publication 130 revision of the Human Respiratory Tract Model. Revisions have also been made to many of the models that describe the systemic biokinetics of radionuclides absorbed to blood, making them more physiologically realistic representations of uptake and retention in organs and tissues, and of excretion. Changes introduced in Publication 103 have been implemented to: the radiation weighting factors used in the calculation of equivalent doses to tissues; the tissue weighting factors used in the calculation of effective dose; and the separate calculation of equivalent doses to males and females with sex-averaging in the calculation of effective dose. Reference anatomical computational phantoms, such as those in Publications 110 and 143 (i.e. models of the human body based on medical imaging data), have replaced many of the composite mathematical models used for previous calculations of organ doses. Dose calculations were also improved by using updated radionuclide decay data in Publication 107, and specific absorbed fraction data in Publications 133 and 155.© 2024 ICRP. Published by SAGE.

Publication 138 defines the ethical foundations of the ICRP System of Radiological Protection based on core values (beneficence and non-maleficence, dignity, justice, and prudence) and procedural values (accountability, transparency, and inclusiveness). The purpose of the present publication is to propose a practical application of values for medical radiological protection professions. As medicine has a long history and strong culture of ethics, this publication starts by identifying the shared values, and defines a common language between biomedical ethics and radiological protection. The core values are very similar, with the autonomy of biomedical ethics, which can be seen as a corollary of dignity, and the precautionary principle, which can be understood as the implementation of prudence. In recent years, medical education and training has emphasised the values of solidarity, honesty, and, above all, empathy. All these values are defined and interpreted in the specific context of the use of ionising radiation in medicine. For those more familiar with radiological protection, the ethical implications of their actions are described. Conversely, for those who already have a good background in ethics, this publication highlights the specificities of ionising radiation that also deserve consideration.In order to emphasise the coherence between the values involved in biomedical ethics and those involved in radiological protection, this publication proposes to combine them: dignity and autonomy; beneficence and non-maleficence; prudence and precaution; justice and solidarity; transparency, accountability, and honesty; and inclusiveness and empathy. This allows a structured review of practical situations from an ethical perspective. For the sake of both example and education, this publication proposes 21 realistic scenarios (11 in imaging procedures and 10 in radiation therapies). Sensitising questions are provided to stimulate reflection and discussion. The ultimate goal is to be able to use ethical values in clinical imaging and therapy situations. Required education and training in ethics is essential for medical radiological workers throughout their career span. An example of a framework of knowledge, skills, and competencies is proposed. In order to assist the reader in a theoretically complex subject, key messages are distributed throughout the text as fixed points that can be easily understood. Although primarily aimed at medical radiological protection professionals, this publication is also intended for authorities, patients, and the public.© 2024 ICRP. Published by SAGE.

The calculation of doses to organs and tissues of interest due to internally emitting radionuclides requires knowledge of the time-dependent distribution of the radionuclide, its physical decay properties, and the fraction of emitted energy absorbed per mass of the target. The latter property is quantified as the specific absorbed fraction (SAF). This publication provides photon, electron, alpha particle, and neutron (for nuclides undergoing spontaneous fission) SAF values for the suite of reference individuals. The reference individuals are defined largely by information provided in ICRP Publication 89. Some improvements and additional data are provided in this publication which define the reference individual's source and target region masses used in the Occupational Intake of Radionuclides (OIR) and Dose Coefficients for Intakes of Radionuclides by Members of the Public series of publications. The set of reference individuals includes males and females at 0 (newborn), 1, 5, 10, 15, and 20 (adult) years of age. The reference adult masses and SAFs provided in this publication are identical to those in ICRP Publication 133 and those used in the OIR series of publications. Computation of SAF values involves simulating radiation transport in computational models which represent the geometry of the reference individuals. The reference voxel phantoms of ICRP Publication 143 are used for photon and neutron transport, and most electron transport. Alpha particle transport is not necessary for large tissue regions as the short range allows for an assumption of full energy absorption (absorbed fraction of unity) for self-irradiation geometries. Additional computational models are needed for charged particles in small, overlapping, or interlaced geometries. Stylised models are described and used for electrons and alpha particles in the alimentary and respiratory tract regions. Image-based models are used to compute SAFs for charged particles within the skeleton. This publication is accompanied by an electronic supplement which includes files containing SAFs for each radiation type in each reference individual. The supplement also includes source and target region masses for each reference individual, as well as skeletal dose-response functions for photons incident upon the skeleton.© 2024 ICRP. Published by SAGE.