[Reprinted from the Federal Register of September 26, 1961, as corrected |
FEDERAL RADIATION COUNCIL
RADIATION PROTECTION GUIDANCE
FOR FEDERAL AGENCIES
Memorandum for the President
e
SrerTomscra 13, 1961.
Puisuant to Executive Order 10831
and Pubilc Law 86-373, the Federal Radilation Counci) herewith transmits Its
second report to you concerning findings
and recommendations for guidance for
Federal] agencies in the conduct of their
radiation protection activities.
Background. On May 13, 1960, the
first recommendations of the Council
were approved by the President and the
memorandum containing these recommendations was published in the FerpEEAL REGISTER ON May 18, 1960. ‘There
wes 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
defined the term ‘‘Radiation Pretection
Guide" (RPG). It provided numerical
values for Radiation Protection Guides
‘for the whole body and certain organs
of radiation workers and for the whole
body of individuals in the general pop-
ulation, as well as an averéee population
gonadal dose. It introduced as an operational
technique, where indis:dual
whole body doses are not known, the use
of a “suitable sample’ of the exposed
popuJation In which the guide for the
average exposure of the sample should
be one-third the RPG for the Individual
members of the group. It emphasized
thet this operational technique should
be modified to meet special situations.
In selecting a suitable sample particular
care should be taken to assure that a
disproportionate fraction of the average
dose is not received by the most sensitive
population elements. The observations,
assumptions, and comments set out In
the memorandum published In the FrepERAL REGISTER, May 1€, 1960, are equally
applicable to this memora::dum
This memorandum contains i1ecornomendations for the guidance of Federal
agencies in activities designed to Hmit
exposure of members cf population
groups to radiation from radioactive
materials peposited in the body as a
result of thelr occurrence in (he environment.
These recommendations include:
(1) Radiation Protection Guides for cer-
taln organs of Individuagis in the general
Population, as well as averages over
suitable samples of exposed groups: (2)
_ uldance on ceneral principles of contro}
applicable. to all radionuclides occurring
in the environment: and (3) specific
€uldance in connection with exposure
of population groups to radium -226, In the development of the Radiation
jodine-131, strontium-90, and
stron- Protection Guides contained herein, the
tium-89. It is the intention of the Coun- . Counci} has considered both sides of this
cli to release the background metera!
balance.
The Council hes reviewed
leading to these recommendations as available knowledge, consulted with
6tafl Report No, 2 when the recommenscientists within and outside the Govermdations contalmed herein are approved. ment, and soliciltec views of interested
Specific attention was directed to individuals and groups from the genera!
problems associated with radium-226, public. In particular, the Council has
fodine-131, strontium-90, and strontiummot only drawn heavily upon reports
88. Radium-226 is an important natu- published by the International Commisrally occurring radioactive maternal, The sion on Radioiogical Protection (ICRP?},
other three were present in fallout fram
the National Committee on Radiation
nuclear weapons testing. They could, Protection and Measurements (NCRP,,
under certain circumstances, also be’ and the Nationa] Academy of Sciences
major constituents of radioactive ma- *(NAS), but has had during the developterials released to the environment from
ment of the report the benefit of consultation with, and comments and suglarge scale atomic energy installations
gestions by, individuals from NCRP and
used for peaceful purposes. Available
data suggest that effective control of - NAS and of their subcommittees. The
these nuclides, in cases of mixed fission . Radiation Protection Guides recomproduct contamination of the environ- + mended below are considered by the
Council to represent an appropriete balment, would provide reasonable assurance between the*requirements of health
ance of at least comparable limitation
of hezard from other fission products in protection and of the beneficial uses of
the body.
Tadiation and atomic energy.
Establishment of the Federal Radia- It is recommended that:
‘tlon Council followed 8 period of public
1. ‘The following Radiation Protection,
concern incident to discussions of fall-+ Guides be adopted for normal] peacetime
out. While strontium-90 received the operations. ,
greatest popular attention, exposures to’
ecesium-137,
jodime-131,
strontium-89 Ta*_y I—Ravunox Prorecnon Gerpre ror Cerram
Hopy Orcase i RELanON TG Exrosyri or Pore:
and, in still lesser degrees to other radioLatTliok GRours
puclides, are involved in the evaluation
of over-all effects, The characteristics
RPG for” averare
‘of cesium-137 lead to direct comparison
Organ,
EPG kor indlof susele sample
viduals
of eipccid popue
with whole body exposures for which
,
.
labot group
recommendations by the Council have
already been made.
..... LSBrem per year
O.S rem per year,
Studies by the staff of the Council in- * Thyroid.
|
Bens merrow.; 0.8 rem per year
G7 rece per yess.
dicate that observed concentrations ‘of liane... eee LSrem per yet... Gores per year.
0.063 mierorrsms
O00) 7..c7
radiosctive Strontium in food and water Lane (alterof Ra-2in the
of lt
nate guide).
do not result in concentrations in the
au
on
adult skiicion
‘
skeleton (and consequently in radia-
“tion doses) as large as have beén Bs-—
sumed in the past. However, concentra.
tions of jod{ne-131 in the diets of smail'
chiidren, particularly in milk, equal to
those permitted under current standards
would lead to radiation doses to the
‘child's thyroid which, in comparison
with the general structure of current
or the bioiozical
or tn: bieloe seal
this amount of
thes esgount of
Ro-T,
equivwient of
Ke-22.
eGuivacnt ol
It wil] be noted that the preceding table
provides Radiation Protection Guides to
be applied to the ayerace of a suilabie
sample of an exposed popuietion group
which are one-third of those applying to
radiation protection standards, would. individuals. This is in accordance with
be too high. This is because current the recommendations in the first report
concentration guides for exposure of of the Council concerning operational
population groups to radioactive mate- ‘techniques for controlling population exriats in air, food, and water have been. Posure. Since jn the case of exposure of
Gerived by application of a single frac- & population group to radionuclides the
radiation doses to individuals are nat
tion
to
corresponding
occupational
guides. -In the case of jlodine-131 in usually known, the organ dose to be used
rail, consumption of milk and retention eas a guide for the average of suitable
of iodine by the child may be at Jeast as, samples of an exposed population group
great as by the adult, while the rela-. is also given as an RPG.
Recommendations as to general printively small size of the thyroid makes
the radiation dose to the thyroid much ciples. Control of population exposure
larger than in the case of the adult. In from radionuclides occurring in the enaddition, there is evidence that irradia- vironment is accomplisned In ceneral
tion of the thyroid involves greater risk either by restriction on the entry of such
materials
into
the
environment
or
to children than to adults.
Recommendations as to Radtation Pro- through measures designed to limit the
tection Guides, The Federal Radiation intake by memibers of the population of
Council has previously emphasized that radionuclides already in the environestablishment of radiation protection ment, Both approaches involve the constandards involves a balancing of the sideration of actual or potential conbenefits tu be derived from the controlied centrations of radionctive material in
use of radiation and atomic energy air, water, or food. Cuntrols should be
against the risk of radiation exposure. based upon an evaluation of population
SOlisTy