A suggested approach for deriving risk criteria in radiation protection and land use planning

Cameron, RF; Corran, ER

A suggested approach for deriving risk criteria in radiation protection and land use planning

Date

1994-05-01

Authors

Cameron, RF

Corran, ER

Publisher

The Institution of Engineers Australia

Abstract

In radiation protection, tolerability has been determined by setting a limit on the dose received recognizing that there is an unavoidable background level of radiation to which we are all exposed. This dose is sometimes associated with a cancer fatality coefficient to convert the dose to a probability of fatality, but it is recognised that fatality is not immediate but arises (if at all) many years after the exposure. In other hazardous industry, tolerability is based on satisfying annual fatality risk limits for the number of immediate fatalities. These limits vary with the type of land use proposed. This raises the questions of how such risks should be compared and, in particular, whether there is a basis for common risk measures to be derived. Unless this can be done, inappropriate comparisons will continue to be made. In this paper, a method is suggested for deriving measures of risk to individuals and to communities, both for activities involving radiation exposure and for accidents with other hazardous materials. The method is based on taking account of the difference between continuing releases and accidental transient releases. It is argued that the continuous releases, the lifetime risk is the most appropriate parameter both for radiation and hazardous material exposure. For accident situations both individual and societal risk curves can be drawn which take account of the difference between acute and latent fatalities. Some problems associated with societal risk curves are discussed and suggestions for their use given.

Description

Physical copy held by ANSTO Library at DDC 621.48/91.

Keywords

Radiation effects, Data, Land use, Occupational exposure, Public health, Radiation hazards, Radiation protection, Reliability, Risk assessment

Citation

Cameron, R. F., & Corran, E. R. (1994). A suggested approach for deriving risk criteria in radiation protection and land use planning. Paper presented to the 9th Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference : Nuclear energy, science and technology Pacific partnership, Sydney, Australia, May 1-6 1994. In McDonald, N. R. (ed), Proceedings, 9th Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference: Nuclear energy, science & technology Pacific partnership, (pp. 665-671). Australia: The Institution of Engineers Australia.