Intakes of Radionuclides: Occupational and Public Exposure. Proceedings of a Workshop, Avignon, France, 15-18 September 1997

Abstract

This Workshop was held at Le Palais des Papes, Avignon, and drew about 200 participants from 28 countries. It was the latest in a series of workshops to address this rapidly developing topic. Previous meetings had been held at Angers, France in 1986; Versailles, France in 1988; Elmau, Germany in 1991; and Bath, England in 1993. This Workshop was co-organised by the Institut de Protection and S�ret�Nucl�aire, France; the National Radiological Protection Board, UK; the Bundesamt f�r Strahlenschutz, Germany; the National Institute for Radiological Sciences, Japan; the European Commission; and the Department of Energy, USA. Introductory invited papers are by Genet (France) on the discovery of radium by Marie Curie and its subsequent use as a `miracle cure' and Bo Lindell (Sweden), who sets the scene for the workshop by describing the development of approaches to setting limits on radionuclide intakes. The first main session deals with occupational exposure, and experience is described in a number of papers of application of the new ICRP respiratory tract model. This is extended to all occupational intakes in the next session, again with particular case studies. Intakes by the public are then addressed, with a wide range of examples including reviews in relation to 137Cs after the Goiania accident and Pu and Am after the Palomares accident. Sessions follow on the development of biokinetic models, first on inhalation with invited papers by Boecker (USA) giving a history of the ICRP models and Hofmann (Austria) on radon lung dosimetry. In the session on ingestion, M�tivier (France) describes the work of ICRP Committee 2 on a new model for the alimentary tract. A separate session is devoted to developments in modelling of doses to the embryo and fetus, again with an invited paper (by Stather and Phipps, UK) describing relevant work by ICRP Committee 2. A long session on model developments entitled `systemic activity' includes papers on reliability of models, gender-specific differences, and a preview by Phipps et al (UK) of the ICRP CD-ROM of dose coefficients. Physical dosimetry has a session of its own, with an invited paper by Hofer (USA) on effects of incorporated Auger emitters; this is followed by papers on dosimetry using anthropomorphic phantoms. A session is also devoted to treatment of accidental intakes of radionuclides by decorporation therapies. Finally, there are sessions on developments in radionuclide and dose measurement techniques and on laboratory intercomparisons. The Workshop concluded with a panel discussion involving members of ICRP Committee 2 and the proceedings contain a record of that discussion. Its objective was to raise issues of interest with members of the Committee and to ensure its advice was related to practical needs in radiation protection. Issues addressed include the merits of simple versus complex biokinetic models; the priorities for obtaining better data; what pathways to include in the alimentary tract model; allowance in dose coefficients for a developing fetus; and whether uncertainty in input parameters or variability between individuals is more important for radiation protection. In this short review it has been possible only to give a flavour of the contents of the proceedings, which contain some 110 papers in 500 pages. The publication clearly represents an exposition of the `state of the art' in assessment of doses from radionuclide intakes, and therefore provides some essential reading for all those active in the field, and essential reference material for those more on the periphery.