Chapter 3 - Radiation Protection Standards

Abstract

Soon after the discovery of X-rays and radium, their dangers were so well recognized and their uses were becoming so commonplace that there was a need to develop uniform standards of radiation protection. In 1928, the International Society of Radiology sponsored formation of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). This commission still exists, comprising 13 members and 4 committees that have a total of about 70 experts from 20 countries. The ICRP has held an important position in the field of radiation protection and in recent years has received financial support from the World Health Organization and other international and national organizations. The National Council on Radiation Protection (NCRP) and Measurements was founded in the United States in 1929; one year after the ICRP was formed. For many years, the NCRP was housed administratively within the Bureau of Standards, although it was not supported financially by it. In 1964, the NCRP was granted a congressional charter that gave it a broad mandate to continue and extend its activities in the radiation protection field. Since then, it has operated as an independent organization financed by contributions from government, scientific societies, and manufacturing associations. When the first radiation protection standards were proposed, the total population at risk consisted of a few thousand X-ray and radium workers, so it was natural that the initial standards were designed to protect those exposed occupationally. A cursory review of the legal and technical facts contained in many of the basic U.S. radiation protection standards suggests that the standards are numerous and complex, principally control activities that make relatively small contributions to the overall U.S. population dose, have become more restrictive over time, and follow no common rationale in achieving public health objectives.