Introduction of ICRP Publication 14 “Radiosensitivity and Spatial Distribution of Dose”

Laying Emphasis on a Tentative Derivation of Dose Limit Based on the Risk Estimate

Abstract

The ICRP Publication 14 contains two reports made by two Task Groups to Committee I. The first report is concerned with the spatial distribution of dose. In this report, many problems related to the basic concepts of radiation protection and inconsistency of the currently recommended dose limit are discussed. A scheme of dose limit for non-uniform exposure based on the risk estimate is presented tentatively. The second report is concerned with the relative radiosensitivity of different tissues and organs. In this report, risks of differnt kinds of biological damages by radiation are reviewed fully. A formal scheme for deriving dose limit for partial exposure of the body is presented. And, according to the data obtained from exposed populations, numerical values for dose limit to tumour induction are derived as an example for discussion. At present, the effect of radiation is not clear sufficiently, but it is suggested that the dose limit specified by ICRP for exposure of part of the body other than the lens and the gonads should be revised.
In the present paper, the formal scheme for deriving dose limit and the example for the numerical derivation of dose limit are introduced somewhat in detail.