Protection of the Health of Workers and the General Public under the Euratom Treaty and the EU Environmental Policy – the Ratio between Human Health Protection and Environmental Protection

Abstract

The correlation between the concepts of radiation protection and environmental protection in the context of the application of the Euratom Treaty is a subject poorly covered in academic literature, but, nevertheless one of a perennial value and importance for the "nuclear" Europe. The aim of the text is to verify the extent to which the concept of radiation protection extends along the purview of the (much broader) concept of environment protection. Thus, an attempt is made to demonstrate whether the health and safety provisions of the Euratom Treaty and the relevant implementing legislation are solely aimed at protecting the health of humans and for that matter are only concerned with the effects of radiation only as far as they relate to the human factor, or indeed, additionally extend to the other elements comprising the environment.