A proposal for consistency of the graded approaches in radiological protection

The 2007 Recommendations of the Commission introduced the system of radiological protection based on the exposure situations, replacing the former practice-intervention-based system. For graded approaches, three types of exposure situations were specified: the planned exposure situations, the emergency exposure situations, and the existing exposure situations. In addition, three categories of exposure and the corresponding three types of exposed persons are identified, namely, occupational exposure of workers, public exposure of members of the public, and medical exposure of patients. The Commission explains that the new system clarifies and simplifies the system, leading to a unified approach. Experiences of application of the system to practice, however, have revealed several problems. For instance, the Commission's position on the application of the system to certain major occupational exposures, cosmic radiation exposure of aircrew, and radon exposure at workplaces specifically is equivocal. Accordingly, the current system is critically reviewed to propose possible improvements. An alternative approach, based on the autonomy of the exposed person and the degree of informed consent, is also proposed for consideration to make the logic of graded approaches easily understandable.