COMMENTS ON
DRAFT ICRP RADIATION PROTECTION IN SECURITY SCREENING
BY SWEDISH RADIATION SAFETY AUTORITY
ICRP follows its tradition on radiation protection recommendations with a very well written document on a somewhat problematic topic where safety and security may appear to be in conflict.
The publication addresses issues concerning a general type of problem. How shall various controls and regulations be handled that emerge from different agencies in the community and that may be more or less in conflict with each other? Are differences in time scale addressed properly, the long of generations versus the short of today’s needs. The principles of overall justification and optimization, the radiation protection fundamentals, offers a good way forward for a systematic analysis of these types of problems together with dose limits and dose restrictions in this case. This, however, involves in this case not only radiation safety authorities, but also the representatives of other interests. Competent authorities in radiation safety are usually familiar with the ICRP philosophy and the related conceptual world which does not have to be the case for other involved parties. This may offer a significant pedagogic challenge for the interpretation and application of ICRP recommendations.
The document is of a systematic character and is as such quite clear. For the practitioner it however remains to concretize the abstract principles into a functional hands on regulatory framework, which may be difficult. If the document could be supplemented with examples of how, one or some leading states have chosen to put these recommendations into practical regulations that could facilitate a more internationally harmonized implementation of the recommendations.