65 ee te ve aad In contrast to the Radiation Protection Guides, the Protective Action Guides, recommended in 1965, provide general guidance for the protection of the population ugninst exposure resulting from the accidental release, or from the unforeseen :ippeuriance of riudioaetive mauterinls in the environment. In introducing the concept of protective nections, the Federul Radiation Council pointed out thut caution should be exercised in decisions to take protective actions in situations where the projected doses are near the numerical vulues of the Radiation Protection Guides, since the biological risks are so low that the actions could have a net adverse rather than beneficial effect on the public well being. The Protective Action Guides represent a consensus as to when, under what conditions most likely to occur, intervention is indicated to avoid radiation exposure that would otherwise result from transient environmental | contamination. This consensus involves health, economic, sociologic and’ political factors for which relative values are different than for the Radiation Protection Guides. The Memorandum for the President on Radiation Protection Guidance for Federal agencies, dited May 17, 1965, states: "Protective actions sare appropriate when the health benefits associated with the reduction in exposure to be achieved :re sufficient to offset the undesirable features of the protective actions. The PAG represents the Council's judgment ::s to where this balance should be for the conditions considered most likely to occur. If, in a particular situation, there is available an effective action with low total impact, initiation of such action at a projected dose lower than the PAG may be justifiable. If only high impact action would be effective, initiation of such action may be justifiable only at a projected dose higher than the PAG."