Radiation Protection: Safeguarding Europe's Citizens (Report No EUR 18760)

Abstract

Over the years, the European Commission has invested a considerable amount of money in research and development in the field of radiation protection; most recently this has been integrated into the Nuclear Fission Safety Programme. Although the scientific and technical results of these efforts are summarised in synoptic reports issued by the Commission (referenced herein), it cannot be said that, being in the form of scientific papers, these are `user-friendly' for the lay person. The declared purpose of this brochure is, therefore, to provide brief and accessible accounts of the output from some of the projects funded under the Third and Fourth Research and Technological Development Framework Programmes. A short introduction outlines the objectives of the radiation protection research programme, emphasises its multi-disciplinary character, and indicates the degree of international collaboration that has been developed both within the European Union and also with other Central and Eastern European States. The 16 projects selected for presentation are broadly representative of the studies that have been funded. They range across: the behaviour of radionuclides in agricultural, semi-natural or wild environments; natural background sources of exposure; assessing the risks of accidental releases and the management of nuclear emergencies; radiation dosimetry; radiobiology; and, treatments for accidental exposures to radiation or radionuclides. Each project uses 2-4 pages (including helpful graphical material) to present the problem under investigation, the research undertaken, and, most importantly, the application of the results to `improve the protection of workers and the general public from unnecessary exposure to all sources of ionising radiation' (quoted from the introduction). In the majority of cases, the material has been presented in a clear, simple and informative manner that should be accessible to the interested (i.e. motivated) lay person. The one place where this achievement might be questioned is figure 1 on page 52, in which there are numerous undefined acronyms and (in my copy, at least) a part of the figure legend seems to have disappeared into the binding. There is one other point, perhaps pedantic, that prompts irritation: the substitution of `radiation' in the paragraph heading on page 16, when what is meant is `radionuclides'. This latter point may, however, be an indication that the production of the brochure has received the attention of someone with a background in the media where this substitution is almost universal. If this is the case, he/she can be commended on the overall quality of the result. While this publication will be of only passing interest to the professional, it would certainly help to inform the public if it were readily available through, for example, public libraries. I am not sure how far such documents become disseminated but, having produced it, the Commission could do the practice of radiological protection a great service by ensuring that it is circulated as widely as possible.