{Reprinted from the Federal Register of September 26, 1961, as corrected]
FEDERAL RADIATION COUNCIL
of population groups to radium-226, | In the development of the Radiation
RADIATION PROTECTION GUIDANCE
FOR FEDERAL AGENCIES
Memorandum for the President
é
Srrerewere 13, 1961.
Pursuant to Executive Order 10831
and Public Law 86-373, the Federal] Ra@iation Council herewith transmits its
second report to you concerning findings
and recommendations for guidance for
Ficeral agencies in the conduct of their
radiation protection activities.
Background. On May 13. 1960, the
first recommendations of the Counc
were approved by the President and the
memorandum containing these recommendations was published in the FroERaL Recistrr on May 18, 1960. There
was also released at the same time, Staff
Report No. 1 of the Federal Radiation
Council, entitled, “Background Material
for the Development of Radiation Protection Standards,” dated May 13, 1960.
The first report of the Council provided a general philosophy of radiation
protection to be used by Federal agencies
in the conduct of their specific programs
and responsibilities. It introduced and
Gefined the term “Radiation Protection
Guide” (RPG). It provided numerical
walues for Radiation Protection Guides
‘for the whole body and certain organs
of radiation workers and for the whole
’
ee ems Cnn al al an eee eee
eee
ance of at least comparable limitation
of hazard from other fission products in
the body.
’
| Establishment of the Federal Radie-.
tion Council followed a period of public
concern incident to discussions of fall-1
out. While strontium-90 received the
Greatest popular attention, exposures to‘
eesium-137, todine-131, strontium-89
and.in still lesser degrees to other radio-
nuclides, are involved in the evaluation
of over-all effects. The characteristics
of cesium-137 lead to direct comparison
with whole body exposures for which
recommendations by the Council have
ment of the report the benefit of con-
sultation with, and comments and suggestions by, individuais {som NCRP and
NAS and of their subcommittees. The
Radiation Protection Guides recommended below are considered by the
Council to represent an appropriate balance between the requirements of health
protection and of the beneficial uses of
Fadiation and atomic energy..
.
It is recommended that: 1. ‘The following Radiation Protection.
Guides be adopted for normal peacetime
operations. |
,s1z1—Rapunow Paorecnon Gomer pon Centum
Bepy Oncave m Retanion v0 Exrosvar oF Puro-
SPO* Gaours
Organ
.
tebde sazn
ereue
-
already been made.
———
Studies by the staff of the Council in- Thyroid...
dicate that observed concentrations ‘of pone...ws
St exposed paper
:
ulation, as wel) as an average population
tadiogctive strontium in food and water Bone (siter-
0.008
ment.
to children than to adults.
into
bation group
yeer...| 0.8 rem per year
Bs sclde).) ofRi
“ol
ite-zay
io be
adolt
skeleton
gonadal] dose. It introduced as an oper- do pot result in concentrations in the
or the bi
or the biologi
ational technique, where indivizual skeletor (and consequently in radiaalentof
of
whole body doses are not known, the use - tion doses) as large as have been as- tussrmount of
ammount of
ti
of a “suitable sample” of the exposed sumed in the past. However, concentra22.
population in which the guide for the tions of jodine-131 in the diets of small”
average exposure of the sample should children, particularly in milk, equal to It will be noted that the preceding table
be one-third the RPG for the individual those permitted under current standards provides Radiation Protection Guides to
members of the group. It emphasized would lead to radiation doses to the be applied to the average of a suitable
that this operational technique should ‘child's thyroid which, in comparison sample of an exposed population group
be modified to meet special situations. with the general structure of current which are one-third of those applying to
In selecting a suitable sample particular radiation protection standards, would, individuals. This is in accordance with
eare should be taken to assure that a be too high. This is because current the recommendations in the first report
disproportionate fraction of the average concentration guides for exposure of of the Council concerning operational
Gose is not received by the most sensitive population groups to radioactive mate- ‘ techniques for controlling population expopulation elements. The observations, rinis in air, food, and water have been posure. Since in the case of exposure of
assumptions, and comments set out in
Gerived by application of a single frac- a population group to radionuciides the
the memorandum fublished in the Fro- tion to corresponding occupational radiation doses to individuals are not
grat REGISTER, May 1£, 1960, are equally | guides. “In the case of fodine-131 in usually known, the organ dose to be used
milk, cousumption of milk and retention as a guide for the average of suitable
epplicable to this memora::dur.
This memorandum contains frecom- of iodine by the child may be at jJeast as. samples of an exposed population group
mendations for the guidance of Federal Great as by the adult, while the rela-. is also given as an RPG.
agencies in activities designed to limit
tively small size of the thyroid makes
Recommendations as to general prinexposure of members of popuration the radiation dose to the thyroid much ciples. Control pf population exposure
groups to radiation from radioactive larger than in the case of the adult. In from radionuclides occurring in the enmaterials deposited in the body as a addition, there is evidence that irradia- vironment is accomplished in general
result of Uheir occurrence in the environ- tion of the thyroid involves greater risk either by restriction on the entry of such
8
These recommendations include:
(1) Radiation Protection Guides for certain organs of individuals in the general
ct ee ee ee
terials released to the environment from
large scale atomic energy installations
used for peaceful purposes. Available
data suggest that effective control of ‘these nuclides, in cases of mixed fission.
product contamination of the environ-:
ment, would provide reasonable assur-
«
e
a
=
a
body of individuals in the general pop-
fodine-131. strontium-90, and stron- ' Protection Guides contained herein, the
tium-89. It 1s the intention of the Coun- - Council] has considered both sides of this
The Council has reviewed
cil to release the background material balance.
Jeading to these recommendations as available knowledge, consulted with
Stall Report No. 2 when the recommen- scientists within and outside the GovernGations contained herein are approved. ment, and solicited views of interested
Bpecific attention was directed to individuals and groups from the general
Problems associated with radium-226, public. In particular, the Council] has
sodine-131, strontium-90, and strontium- not only drawn heavily upon reports
$9. Radium-226 is an important natu- published by the International Commisrally occurring radioactive material. The sion on Radiologica! Protection (ICRP),
other three were present in fallout from the National Committee on Radiation
nuclear weapons testing. They could,’ Protection and Measurements (NCRP),
under certain circumstances, also be and the National Academy of Sciences
major constituents of radioactive ma- °(NAS), but has had during the develop-
population, as well as averaces over
suitable samples of exposed groups: (2)
_ Suidance on eeneral principles of control
applicable to all radionuclides occurring
in the environment: and (3) specific
Guidance in connection with exposure
2001463
Recommendations as to Radiation Protection Guides. The Federal Radoation
Council has previously emphasized that
establishment of radiation
protection
materials
the
environment
or
through measures designed to limit the
intake by members of the population of
radionuclides already in the
environ-
ment. Both approaches involve the con-
standards involves a balancing of the sideration of actual or potential conbencfits to be derived from the controlled
use of radiation and atomic energy
Against the risk of radiation exposure.
centrations of radioactive material in
air, water, or food. Cuntrols should be
based upon an evaluation of population
DOE ARCHIVES