Update of ICRP Publications 109 and 111

The Task Group (TG) of Committee 4 was created to update the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publications 109 and 111 in light of the lessons from Fukushima, recent international developments concerning the protection of people in emergency exposure situations, and people living in long-term contaminated areas after a nuclear accident or a radiation emergency. An important aspect of the TG's approach focuses on clarifying the consequences of the introduction of the situation-based approach to implementation of radiological protection that was introduced in ICRP Publication 103 in place of the previous approach based on the distinction between practices and interventions. The TG focused its reflection on several issues revealed by the Fukushima accident in relation to the justification and optimization of emergency decisions, the characterization of the radiological situation, the protection of emergency and recovery responders, the decontamination and waste management strategies, the management of contaminated foodstuffs and commodities, the shift from the emergency to the existing exposure situation, and the co-expertise process to develop radiological protection culture among the affected population.