The Use of Effective Dose as a Radiological Protection Quantity
Response of the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine Radiation Protection and Nuclear Medicine Special Interest Groups
This response covers a few key issues raised by members of the Special Interest but IPEM has not been able to provide detailed line by line comments, but it is noted that other organisations and individuals have done this.
The report aims to clarify to clarify the practical applications of the use of effective dose, E, and this is welcomed. The quantity Effective Dose in radiation protection is used extensively and this report reviews the assumptions, generalisations and limitations of E in radiation protection, particularly for risk estimation at low doses.
The recommendation to discontinue the use of equivalent dose as a radiation protection quantity is supported. There would need to be further clarification on how to move forward with this.
IPEM agrees with the Commission statement that the report’s recommendations would not be formally published in advance of its publication of new general recommendations on radiation protection matters.
The statement that the use of E as an approximate indicator of possible risk is not a substitute for a risk analysis using best estimates of organ/tissue doses, appropriate information on the relative effectiveness of different radiation types, and age-, sex- and population-specific risk factors, is welcomed. However, its common use for risk estimation for individual patient or accidental exposures of staff could be discouraged more strongly.
Explicit clarification of the use collective effective dose is welcome.
The consensus amongst those IPEM members who have commented was that this report is not easy to read, partly due to the amount of repetition in each section. The recommendations are not clearly laid out as in many important ICRP documents.