ICRP Publication 103

Recommendations of the ICRP

These revised Recommendations for a System of Radiological Protection formally replace the Commission's previous, 1990, Recommendations, and update, consolidate, and develop the additional guidance on the control of exposure from radiation sources issued since 1990. Thus, the present Recommendations update the radiation and tissue weighting factors in the quantities equivalent and effective dose and update the radiation detriment, based on the latest available scientific information of the biology and physics of radiation exposure. They maintain the Commission's three fundamental principles of radiological protection, namely justification, optimisation and the application of dose limits, clarifying how they apply to radiation sources delivering exposure and to individuals receiving exposure. The Recommendations evolve from the previous process-based protection approach using practices and interventions by moving to an approach based on the exposure situation. They recognise planned, emergency, and existing exposure situations, and apply the fundamental principles of justification and optimisation of protection to all of these situations. They maintain the Commission's current individual dose limits for effective dose and equivalent dose from all regulated sources in planned exposure situations. They re-inforce the principle of optimisation of protection, which should be applicable in a similar way to all exposure situations, subject to restrictions on individual doses and risks: dose and risk constraints for planned exposure situations, and reference levels for emergency and existing exposure situations. The Recommendations also include an approach for developing a framework to demonstrate radiological protection of the environment.