RADIATION

PROTECTION
Chapter 9
ORGANIZATIONS,
STANDARDS, AND
PHILOSOPHY

Jump to first
page

Objectives

Identify key organizations

that recommend dose
limits
Identify organizations
that set standards
Define the philosophy of
radiation protection
Know the occupational
and public radiation
protection limits

Jump to first
page

Key Scientific
Organizations

International Commission
on Radiological
Protection (ICRP)
International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA)
International Commission
on Radiological Units and
Measurements (ICRU)
National Council on
Radiation Protection and
Measurements (NCRP)

Jump to first
page

Other
International
Organizations

United Nations:
International Labor
Organization
World Health
Organization
Food and Agriculture
Organization

Issue recommended
safe practices
guidelines. They do not
have authority to require
adoption of their
recommendations.
Jump to first
page

Organizations that Establish

and Implement Radiation
Protection Standards

Environmental Protection
Agency
Radiation protection
guidelines
Environmental radiation
standards and regulations
Federal radiation council
Surveillance of air, food
and water

Jump to first
page

Organizations That Establish

and Implement Radiation
Protection Standards

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

regulates nuclear energy industry
(commercial sector)
power reactors
fuel manufacturers
spent-fuel processing
waste management
production and use of
radioisotopes in research,
medicine, industry
issues regulations to comply with
EPA standards.

Jump to first
page

Organizations that
Establish and Implement
Radiation Protection
Standards

U.S. Department of Energy

Standards for Department of
Energy Facilities
10 CFR 834, 835
Regulatory Authority Being
Challenged

Military

Jump to first
page

Organizations that Establish

and Implement Radiation
Protection Standards

Food and Drug Administration

Center for Devices and
Radiological Health (CDRH)
responsibility for developing safety
standards for sources not
controlled by NRC (e.g., naturally
occurring or accelerator produced
radionuclides)
X-ray generators
regulations apply to manufacturers
do not have the force of law, but
may be adopted by states

Jump to first
page

Organizations that Establish

and Implement Radiation
Protection Standards

The States
NRC can delegate certain health
and safety responsibilities to
states
~ 1/2 of states are agreement

Municipalities

large cities (e.g., New York) may

have authority to regulate
radiation sources

Jump to first
page

Organizations that Establish

and Implement Radiation
Protection Standards

Department of Transportation
regulations governing
shipment of radioactive
materials.
NRC enforces

Jump to first
page

The Philosophy of
Radiation Protection

Justification

Optimization

Dose limitation

Jump to first
page

Categories of Exposure

Occupational Exposure
pregnant workers
all other radiation
workers

Members of the General

Public
Medical Exposure

Jump to first
page

Dose Calculation
Method

How do you compare doses

delivered to different parts of
the body?
Uniform whole body irradiation
(Most likely) external source
Gamma emitter

Non uniform irradiation

(Most likely) internal source
, , , N, x-ray or other
source

Jump to first
page

External
Dose

Jump to first
page

Dose
Equivalent
(H)

Biological response
varies by radiations
Radiation weighting
factors used to
provide a common
scale:

H T wR DT , R
R

DT,R is absorbed
dose
T is tissue (organ)
R is radiation type R
WR is radiation
weighting factor
Jump to first
page

Effective Dose
Equivalent
(HE)

Different tissues
respond
differently to
same radiation
dose
Tissue weighting
factors used to
provide a
common scale:

H E wT H T
T

HE is the effective
dose equivalent
WT is the tissue
weighting factor
Jump to first
page

Effective Dose
Equivalent, continued

Take dose equivalent for each

organ
Multiply by radiation risk
factor, WT
Sum to get effective dose
equivalent for the entire
body:

H E WT H T
T

Where HT is the tissue (organ)

dose equivalent
Jump to first
page

Tissue Weighting
Factors WT*
Tissue or
Organ

Tissue Weighting
Factor, WT

Gonads

0.25

Bone Marrow
(red)

0.12

Lung

0.12

Breast

0.15

Thyroid

0.03

Bone Surface

0.03

Remainder

0.30

From ICRP 20, ICRP-60 values and tissues

are different
*

Jump to first
page

So Biological Dose
Today

Measure
Exposure (X or roentgen) or
Absorbed dose (rad, Gy)

Calculate
Dose equivalent for each effected
organ (Gy*WR)
Result expressed in rem, Sv

Multiply
Each organ dose by organ-specific
radiation risk factor (Sv*WT)
Sum risk weighted organ doses

Result listed as effective dose

equivalent (rem, Sv)
Jump to first
page

Occupational
Exposure Limits

To prevent nonstochastic effects:

0.15 Sv (15 rem) lens of the eye
0.5 Sv (50 rems) all other
tissues

To limit stochastic effects:

Dose-equivalent limit from
uniform whole body irradiation is
50 mSv (5 rem) in 1 year
Effective dose-equivalent from
nonuniform irradiation 50 mSv
(5 rem) in 1 year

Jump to first
page

Exposure of General
Public

For routine releases from sites:

1 mSv (100 mrem) per year
Occasional 5 mSv (500 mrem)
per year if average < 1 mSv

Remediated sites:
0.15 mSv (15 mrem) per year
e.g., Decommissioned reactors,
waste sites etc.

Air emissions:

0.1msv (10 mrem)

Jump to first
page

Medical Exposure
Limits

None
Exposures must be justifiable
on the basis of benefits to the
patient

Jump to first
page