ICRP Publication 108
Environmental Protection - the Concept and Use of Reference Animals and Plants
Recommended citation
ICRP, 2008. Environmental Protection - the Concept and Use of Reference Animals and Plants. ICRP Publication 108. Ann. ICRP 38 (4-6).
Abstract - In its latest recommendations for a system of radiological protection, the Commission considered it necessary and appropriate to broaden its scope in order to address, directly, the subject of protection of the environment, although it acknowledged that there is no simple or single universal definition of ‘environmental protection’, and that the concept differs between countries and from one circumstance to another. It is a very large and complicated subject. Nevertheless, the Commission did consider it appropriate to set out some high-level ambitions with regard to environmental protection and the specific issue of potential radiation effects, and thus included within its general aims those of wishing to prevent or reduce the frequency of deleterious radiation effects in the environment to a level where they would have a negligible impact on the maintenance of biological diversity, the conservation of species, or the health and status of natural habitats, communities, and ecosystems. It also recognised the needs of some national authorities to demonstrate, directly and explicitly, that the environment is being protected within
their own legislative frameworks.
The Commission also stated, however, that it believed that its approach to environmental protection should be commensurate with the overall level of risk (and thus optimised), and that it should be compatible with other approaches being made to protect the environment. Some form of numerical guidance is therefore necessary,
and the Commission said that it considered that such guidance – built on a knowledge of the relationships between exposure and dose, between dose and effect, and between effect and possible consequences – needed to be based on a sound scientific system similar to that developed for human protection, and that this could best be achieved by the creation of a set of Reference Animals and Plants.
This publication therefore introduces the concept of Reference Animals and Plants, and defines a small set. It discusses their pathways of exposure, and collates and discusses the adequacy of the best-available data relating to their dosimetry at different stages of their life cycles. In addition, this publication further develops and uses this information to derive sets of tabulated data (dose conversion factors, in terms of (µGy/day)/(Bq/kg)) that allow the dose to be calculated for 75 radionuclides that may be within, or external to, each organism.
This publication reviews what is known about the effects of radiation upon such biotic types (or of similar organisms, where more precise data are lacking) with regard to the effects of mortality, morbidity, reduced reproductive success, and chromosomal damage. Drawing on this information, the report derives a set of derived consideration reference levels for each biotic type in order to help optimise the level of effort that might be expended on its environmental protection, or that of similar types of organisms, and thus serve as points of reference in any wider consideration
of what authorities may wish to do under different exposure situations.
The various factors that should be taken into account when considering what to do if the derived consideration reference levels are likely to be attained are also discussed. Some broader background information on the types of animals and plants used is also given. Additional information is provided on advice with regard to extrapolating
and interpolating the limited set of dosimetric models to other shapes and sizes of animals and plants.
The Commission acknowledges that, in many circumstances, exposure to radiation is but one factor to consider. It therefore intends to provide high-level guidance and advice upon which regulators and operators may draw in order to demonstrate compliance, where necessary, with the wide range of international and national environmental legislation that already exists, or is likely to emerge in the near future.
It also intends to supplement this introductory report with additional relevant data sets, and with further guidance on issues such as radiation weighting factors.
© 2009 ICRP. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Environmental protection; Reference Animals and Plants.
Key Points: Not included in this publication
Executive Summary
This report follows on from, and further develops, the Commission’s initial review of the protection of the environment as set out in Publication 91 (ICRP, 2003), which concluded that there was a need for a broad international basis for evaluating and managing the actual or potential impact of radiation on the environment. It also concluded that there was a need to develop a comprehensive approach to the study of the effects on, and protection of, biota and that this could best be achieved by way of the development of a small set of Reference Animals and Plants.
Since then, the Commission has published its revised set of recommendations (ICRP, 2007), in which it considered it appropriate to broaden its scope in order to address the protection of the environment directly, and thus to include in its general aims the prevention or reduction of the frequency of deleterious radiation effects in the environment to a level where they would have a negligible impact on the maintenance of biological diversity, the conservation of species, or the health and status of natural habitats, communities, and ecosystems. The Commission also stated that it believed that its approach to environmental protection should be commensurate with the overall level of risk, and thus optimised, and that it should be compatible with other approaches being made to protect the environment.
This report therefore introduces the concept of Reference Animals and Plants, defines a small set, and discusses their pathways of exposure. It collates and discusses the adequacy of the best-available data relating to their dosimetry, at different stages of their life cycles,
and further develops and uses this information to derive sets of tabulated data (dose conversion factors, in terms of (lGy/day)/(Bq/kg)) that allow the dose to be calculated for 75 radionuclides that may be within, or external to, each organism. This report reviews what is known about the effects of radiation upon such biotic types (or of organisms similar to them, where more precise data are lacking), and thus derives a set of consideration reference levels for each biotic type in order to help optimise the level of effort that might be expended on their environmental protection, or that of similar types of organisms. The various factors that should be taken into account when considering what to do if such derived consideration reference levels are attained or exceeded are also discussed.
Some broader background information on the types of animals and plants used is also given. Additional information is provided regarding extrapolation and interpolation of the limited set of dosimetric models to other shapes and sizes of animals and plants.
References
ICRP, 2003. A Framework for Assessing the Impact of Ionising Radiation on Non-Human Species. ICRP Publication 91. Ann.
ICRP 33(3). ICRP, 2007. The 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. ICRP Publication 103. Ann. ICRP 37(2–4).
ICRP, 2008. Environmental Protection - the Concept and Use of Reference Animals and Plants. ICRP Publication 108. Ann. ICRP 38 (4-6).
Abstract - In its latest recommendations for a system of radiological protection, the Commission considered it necessary and appropriate to broaden its scope in order to address, directly, the subject of protection of the environment, although it acknowledged that there is no simple or single universal definition of ‘environmental protection’, and that the concept differs between countries and from one circumstance to another. It is a very large and complicated subject. Nevertheless, the Commission did consider it appropriate to set out some high-level ambitions with regard to environmental protection and the specific issue of potential radiation effects, and thus included within its general aims those of wishing to prevent or reduce the frequency of deleterious radiation effects in the environment to a level where they would have a negligible impact on the maintenance of biological diversity, the conservation of species, or the health and status of natural habitats, communities, and ecosystems. It also recognised the needs of some national authorities to demonstrate, directly and explicitly, that the environment is being protected within
their own legislative frameworks.
The Commission also stated, however, that it believed that its approach to environmental protection should be commensurate with the overall level of risk (and thus optimised), and that it should be compatible with other approaches being made to protect the environment. Some form of numerical guidance is therefore necessary,
and the Commission said that it considered that such guidance – built on a knowledge of the relationships between exposure and dose, between dose and effect, and between effect and possible consequences – needed to be based on a sound scientific system similar to that developed for human protection, and that this could best be achieved by the creation of a set of Reference Animals and Plants.
This publication therefore introduces the concept of Reference Animals and Plants, and defines a small set. It discusses their pathways of exposure, and collates and discusses the adequacy of the best-available data relating to their dosimetry at different stages of their life cycles. In addition, this publication further develops and uses this information to derive sets of tabulated data (dose conversion factors, in terms of (µGy/day)/(Bq/kg)) that allow the dose to be calculated for 75 radionuclides that may be within, or external to, each organism.
This publication reviews what is known about the effects of radiation upon such biotic types (or of similar organisms, where more precise data are lacking) with regard to the effects of mortality, morbidity, reduced reproductive success, and chromosomal damage. Drawing on this information, the report derives a set of derived consideration reference levels for each biotic type in order to help optimise the level of effort that might be expended on its environmental protection, or that of similar types of organisms, and thus serve as points of reference in any wider consideration
of what authorities may wish to do under different exposure situations.
The various factors that should be taken into account when considering what to do if the derived consideration reference levels are likely to be attained are also discussed. Some broader background information on the types of animals and plants used is also given. Additional information is provided on advice with regard to extrapolating
and interpolating the limited set of dosimetric models to other shapes and sizes of animals and plants.
The Commission acknowledges that, in many circumstances, exposure to radiation is but one factor to consider. It therefore intends to provide high-level guidance and advice upon which regulators and operators may draw in order to demonstrate compliance, where necessary, with the wide range of international and national environmental legislation that already exists, or is likely to emerge in the near future.
It also intends to supplement this introductory report with additional relevant data sets, and with further guidance on issues such as radiation weighting factors.
© 2009 ICRP. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Environmental protection; Reference Animals and Plants.
Key Points: Not included in this publication
Executive Summary
This report follows on from, and further develops, the Commission’s initial review of the protection of the environment as set out in Publication 91 (ICRP, 2003), which concluded that there was a need for a broad international basis for evaluating and managing the actual or potential impact of radiation on the environment. It also concluded that there was a need to develop a comprehensive approach to the study of the effects on, and protection of, biota and that this could best be achieved by way of the development of a small set of Reference Animals and Plants.
Since then, the Commission has published its revised set of recommendations (ICRP, 2007), in which it considered it appropriate to broaden its scope in order to address the protection of the environment directly, and thus to include in its general aims the prevention or reduction of the frequency of deleterious radiation effects in the environment to a level where they would have a negligible impact on the maintenance of biological diversity, the conservation of species, or the health and status of natural habitats, communities, and ecosystems. The Commission also stated that it believed that its approach to environmental protection should be commensurate with the overall level of risk, and thus optimised, and that it should be compatible with other approaches being made to protect the environment.
This report therefore introduces the concept of Reference Animals and Plants, defines a small set, and discusses their pathways of exposure. It collates and discusses the adequacy of the best-available data relating to their dosimetry, at different stages of their life cycles,
and further develops and uses this information to derive sets of tabulated data (dose conversion factors, in terms of (lGy/day)/(Bq/kg)) that allow the dose to be calculated for 75 radionuclides that may be within, or external to, each organism. This report reviews what is known about the effects of radiation upon such biotic types (or of organisms similar to them, where more precise data are lacking), and thus derives a set of consideration reference levels for each biotic type in order to help optimise the level of effort that might be expended on their environmental protection, or that of similar types of organisms. The various factors that should be taken into account when considering what to do if such derived consideration reference levels are attained or exceeded are also discussed.
Some broader background information on the types of animals and plants used is also given. Additional information is provided regarding extrapolation and interpolation of the limited set of dosimetric models to other shapes and sizes of animals and plants.
References
ICRP, 2003. A Framework for Assessing the Impact of Ionising Radiation on Non-Human Species. ICRP Publication 91. Ann.
ICRP 33(3). ICRP, 2007. The 2007 Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. ICRP Publication 103. Ann. ICRP 37(2–4).
