Foundation docs Optimisation; Dose to Individual


Draft document: Foundation docs Optimisation; Dose to Individual
Submitted by Melanie Rickard, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
Commenting on behalf of the organisation

1) p. 15, paragraph (71): The first sentence states "It is generally recognized that for external exposure, there is little variability in dose with age". The remainder of the document is mainly focused on internal dosimetry as a function of age with no further consideration given to possible higher doses to children as compared to adults from a given external source. An examination of the indicated reference (Golikov et al., 1999) clearly shows that there is indeed a significant variability in dose with age; the reference indicates a factor of about 1.2 greater dose for pre-school children compared to adults in a given radiation field. More recent references have indicated differences by factors of greater than 1.5 depending on photon energy and irradiation geometry. Consequently, it is recommended that the ICRP reconsider the above statement and, indeed, the general approach taken in the document towards external dose as a function of age. 2) p. B-12: The terms in the formulas on this page should all be clearly defined under each formula where they are used.


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